Premier Golda Meir, confident that her government enjoys overwhelming support in the Knesset, has called for immediate debate on a private bill introduced recently by Gahal opposition leader Menachem Beigin for dissolution of parliament and new elections. Mrs. Meir told her Cabinet colleagues today that she would welcome a debate this week, prior to the Knesset’s Passover recess, and that she has so informed Knesset Speaker Reuben Barkatt, Mrs. Meir also disclosed that she has suggested to Gahal that Beighin cut short his current trip abroad in order to move his bill for debate. Gahal’s executive is scheduled to consider her suggestion at a meeting tomorrow night. But opposition circles charged today that Mrs. Meir was resorting to trickery. They said that under present circumstances the Beigin bill was sure to be defeated and under Knesset rule, no similar bill could be introduced until the winter term begins next October. That would leave the government free from the threat of new elections at a time convenient to the opposition while the government could move for new elections at any time it deemed favorable, they said. Furthermore, defeat of Beigin’s measure would considerably strengthen the government’s position in negotiations with foreign governments. Gahal circles said Beigin had expected his bill to come up for debate only in the normal order of priority which would bring it to the floor in May, Mrs., Moir’s certainly about the outcome stems from the 62-0 vote of confidence won by her government in a Knesset debate earlier this month on the issue of territorial policy.
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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.
