The Israel Cabinet met today with Finance Minister Levi Eshkol presiding instead of Premier David Ben Gurion who refuses to sit at the same table with the four left-wing Cabinet members representing the Mapam and Achdut Avodah–the two parties which refused to support the government on the arms deal with Western Germany.
The ultimatum given by Mr. Ben Gurion that he would not participate in any Cabinet meeting at which the four “dissident” Cabinet members will be present was discussed today by leaders of Ben Gurion’s Mapai Party. Former Chief of Staff Moshe Dayan expressed hope that the Premier would change his attitude and would again attend the Cabinet sessions and preside over them.
At today’s Cabinet meeting the report by United Nations Secretary General Dag Ham-marskjold on his talks in Cairo was discussed. In the absence of Foreign Minister Golda Meir and Acting Foreign Minister David Ben Gurion, the details of Mr. Hammarskjold’s report were presented to the Cabinet by Dr. Walter Eytan, director general of the Foreign Ministry.
The report dealt with the results of Mr. Hammarskjold’s negotiations with President Nasser of the United Arab Republic on opening the Suez Canal for the passage of Israeli cargoes and on the fate of the Danish vessel Inge Toft detained at the entrance to the Suez Canal for carrying Israeli cargo. (A report from London today said that the United Arab Republic Custom Department auctioned yesterday the Israeli cargo of potash, cement and fruit juices seized from the Liberia vessel Capitan Manolis on February 25 while the ship was passing the Suez Canal.)
Some importance was attached here today to the sudden departure this week-end from the United Nations headquarters in New York of Andrew W. Cordier, executive assistant to Mr. Hammarskjold, who carries the responsibility for following up administrative UN work in the Middle East. Mr. Cordier left for Geneva to meet there with Mr. Hammarsk-jold and Maj. Gen. Carlsson von Horn, chief of the UN forces on the Egyptian-Israeli border. It was reported here that Mr. Cordier was in touch with the Israel delegation at the United Nations before he left for Geneva.
Today’s Cabinet meeting also heard a report from Abba Eban, former Israel Ambassador to the United States, on his tour of duty in Washington. A report was also presented to the Cabinet on the talks now being held in London between the World Bank president Eugene Black and British Foreign Minister Selwyn LIoyd. The World Bank is now considering a loan to Egypt for widening the Suez Canal.
The Cabinet meeting today named an inquiry committee to investigate the Haifa rioting Thursday. (See page 2 for details of the riot.) Judge Eliyahu Mani, president of the Jerusalem District Court, was named committee chairman. Other committee members were the Chief Rabbi of Ramleh, Itzhak Abu Kharzira, a former leader of the Moroccan Jewish community, and Izhar Harari, a member of the Knesset. The committee was instructed to examine police behavior, the causes of the disturbance and whether the rioting was organized.
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