Premier Golda Meir’s dramatic move in announcing she has given up trying to form a new government, came as a relief to the National Religious Party which found itself pushed to the wall on the question of joining the coalition.
Eliyahu Miron, a lawyer and member of the NRP executive, received this morning an order from the Tel Aviv Rabbinical Beth Din prohibiting the NRP leadership from meeting in Jerusalem today as scheduled in order to consider entering the coalition. Miron told the Beth Din that the NRP meeting might violate the order from the Chief Rabbinate prohibiting the party from joining the Cabinet unless the “Who is a Jew” problem is resolved according to NRP demands.
Interior Minister Yosef Burg said Mrs. Meir’s action will give the NRP additional time to resolve the matter. Earlier, Israel Radio reported the NRP faction headed by MK Yitzhak Raphael, the second largest group within the party, was in favor of entering the coalition. The leaders of the largest faction. Dr. Burg and Welfare Minister Michael Hazani, were reported undecided, while other members of their faction were reported in favor of joining.
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