Israel is not ready for a two-party system, Prime Minister Levi Eshkol told the Knesset last night in winding up the debate on the budget of the Prime Minister’s Office. He was replying to statements advocating a change to a plurality electoral system. While noting that there was a future possibility of a common list of all labor parties from Mapam to Rafi, he said that this was not practical in the present political climate of interparty strife.
Mr. Eshkol also informed the Knesset that the Center for the Diaspora, sponsored by both the Israel Government and the Jewish Agency, was planning to broaden its scope and activities. He said that while the Center’s activities were successful, closer cooperation between Israel and Jewry abroad was required.
Meanwhile the Jewish Agency executive approved a program here today under which the number of Jewish youths abroad coming to Israel as part of various projects will be increased from a current total of 900 to 1,650. The new program will now go before the Government-Jewish Agency Coordinating Body for final approval. Eliahu Dobkin, head of the Youth and Hechalutz Department, said that all youth projects of his department will involve increased numbers of participants.
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The Archive of the Jewish Telegraphic Agency includes articles published from 1923 to 2008. Archive stories reflect the journalistic standards and practices of the time they were published.