Israel Cabinet Crisis “postponed”; Split Caused by Issue of Germany

A Cabinet crisis, which threatened to break up the government coalition, was “postponed” from today to Sunday, following a decision by Premier David Ben Gurion not to send a leading Israel personality to Germany allegedly to secure Germany’s support for international guarantees of Israel’s security. The issue is expected to have its reverberations at the Cabinet meeting next Sunday.

The Cabinet decision to send such an emissary to Germany was revealed today in Lamerchav, official organ of the Achdut Avoda party, which is represented in the Cabinet. The paper published fierce objections by Achdut Avoda to this decision and claimed that it would “endanger Israel’s very existence.”

Premier Ben Gurion reportedly felt that publication of the news had greatly, if not entirely, impaired the usefulness of the projected visit. He therefore decided to call it off. Following Mr. Ben Gurions decision, the Achdut Avoda party withdrew its demand for a special Cabinet meeting to discuss the subject.

Withdrawal of the demand for a Cabinet meeting does not solve the Cabinet crisis, because the Mapai ministers view Achdut Avoda’s publication of the Cabinet decision as a grave infraction of Cabinet secrecy and a breach of coalition discipline which demands that after the Cabinet makes a decision no party should try to alter it through publicity. The Mapai, therefore, is likely to demand a discussion of this infraction at next Sunday’s Cabinet meeting.

The Achdut Avoda statement claimed today that the Cabinet decision was taken by “a small majority.” The precise nature of the decision was not disclosed in the statement, but leaders of the Achdut Avoda privately claimed that the visit of a top Israeli personality to Germany would put Israel on Germany’s side politically and militarily.

Although the identity of the courier was kept hidden, it was learned he was to visit West Germany en route to Burma in acceptance of an invitation from that country. Mean-while, Dr. Giora Josephthal, general secretary of Mapai, who returned from a visit to Bonn, said today he had met with Chancellor Konrad Adenauer and that the two discussed problems of mutual interest.

Dr. F. Shinnar, head of the Israel reparations mission in West Germany, accompanied Dr. Josephthal. Dr. Shinnar, who was present at the Josephthal-Adenauer talks, declined to add anything to the Mapai official’s statement.