A motion of nonconfidence in Israel’s coalition Government, introduced in the Knesset (Parliament) by two opposition parties, was overwhelmingly defeated in the house today by a vote of 65 to 30, with five abstentions. The motion had been presented by Rafi, the dissident party led by former Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion, and by Gahal, the fusion of Herut and the old Liberal Party, led by Menahem Beigin.
The motion was based on remarks allegedly made by Foreign Minister Abba Eban, in a recent interview printed by the Parisian newspaper, Le Monde, in which Mr. Eban was quoted as presumably labeling the former Ben-Gurion Government as “military adventurists.” In the heated debate, Mr. Eban told the Knesset his remarks on “military adventurism” referred not to Mr. Ben-Gurion’s tenure as Prime Minister but to the last election campaign, when Mr. Ben-Gurion ran for the Knesset on the independent Rafi list.
The debate on the motion marked the first open collaboration between Mr. Ben-Gurion and Mr. Beigin. The voting marked the first time the Israel Communist Party supported the Government coalition, the Communists lining up with the pro-Government forces this time to defeat the joint Rafi-Gahal move.
JTA has documented Jewish history in real-time for over a century. Keep our journalism strong by joining us in supporting independent, award-winning reporting.
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.
