Mrs. Meir Postpones Her Final Decision for Another 24 Hours

The Israel Radio, quoting “a senior source” said tonight that Premier Golda Meir has informed President Ephraim Katzir that she will announce tomorrow her final decision on forming a new government. According to the radio report, which was phrased in vague language, Mrs. Meir would announce her decision at a meeting of the Labor Party Central Committee to be held in Tel Aviv tomorrow.

The understanding here was that the Premier has not revised her decision, announced after a Labor Party meeting last night, to relinquish her mandate to form a new government. But she has, for some reason, postponed for another 24 hours, the announcement of her final position. It is understood that if she hands back her mandate Katzir can ask another Labor Knesseter or even a Likud Knesseter to try and form a government. If this too fails then there must be new elections. The law demands at least 100 days preparation for elections. Meanwhile the present government would remain in office as caretaker administration.

Late tonight Katzir. announced to newsmen at his residence that Mrs. Meir had decided after all to continue her efforts to form a government until Wednesday midnight–the end of the second week-long extension that Katzir gave her last Wednesday. “I wish her every success in her effort,” the President said. Mrs. Meir herself was not available to newsmen. She left the Presidential residence by a back door after her hour-long meeting with Katzir. Thus ended 25 hours of intense and almost unceasing appeals from party leaders and her veteran colleagues to change her mind.

The nation had waited with mounting suspense today for the outcome of the Premier’s meeting with Katzir–a meeting postponed during the day from 11:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. The postponements gave rise to speculation that she was recon- sidering her decision to quit as a result of heavy pressure to remain in office from her Labor Party colleagues.

The Jewish Telegraphic Agency was able to confirm today–as it reported last night–that two seemingly insoluble problems determined Mrs. Meir’s decision to give up her efforts to form a new government after more than two months of arduous negotiations with potential coalition partners: the refusal of the National Religious Party to join her Cabinet; and Defense Minister Moshe Dayan’s apparently unalterable decision not to serve in the next Cabinet and his unequivocal position favoring a national unity government including Likud. Added to this was subtle pressure by President Katzir toward a national unity government which he is known privately to support. (By David Landau)