A storm erupted in the Knesset today when Likud leader Menachem Beigin demanded an immediate briefing by the government on its talks so far with Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. The request was denied by Knesset Speaker Yisrael Yeshayahu. Beigin’s demand followed the Speaker’s rejection of a Likud request for debate today on a motion relating to the political situation and the continuing fighting on the Syrian front. Yeshayahu ruled that the matter had been placed on the agenda for discussion tomorrow and that the agenda would stand.
The shouting that broke out from the opposition section on the Knesset floor prevented Information Minister Shimon Peres from replying to questions. There were cries of “shame” from Likud members who said there was “no justice” in the Knesset because “the Cabinet is willing to talk to Kissinger but not to the Knesset.”
Beigin accused Kissinger of threatening Israel’s existence by trying to force the government to take decisions that would imperil its security. He demanded that the Knesset session be halted and a messenger dispatched to Premier Golda Meir with a demand that a member of the ministerial team conferring with Kissinger come to the Knesset forthwith to brief it on the progress of the talks. The clamor subsided only when the Kness session was adjourned on a technicality–Likud MK Benjamin Halevi said he was feeling “sick” and did not wish to proceed with the motion. Observers noted that more voices are being raised in Israel against Kissinger’s policies and attitudes.
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