Pressure Renewed for Establishing Government of National Unity

Renewed pressure for the establishment of a national unity government has surfaced in recent days. The Likud opposition and the National Religious Party a member of the present coalition, are the principal advocates of an all-party regime and are trying to convert certain elements of the Labor Alignment to their point of view.

Menachem Beigin, leader of Likud’s Herut wing, met with Defense Minister Shimon Peres last week to discuss various aspects of the subject, informed sources said. Beigin apparently is agreeable to a national unity government headed by Peres. He was severely criticized by members of his own party this week for, in effect, conceding the Premiership to Labor. Simcha Erlich, of Likud, said it was improper for an opposition leader to bow to the ruling party.

Beigin agreed that Likud should aspire to the leadership role but said that was not feasible under present conditions which required a national unity regime. He confirmed that he has been meeting from time to time with Peres but refused to elaborate on what they had discussed.

NRP sources said over the week-end that the religious faction still strongly favored a national unity government. But they said to bring it about would require the Rafi wing of the Labor Party, headed by Peres, to take the drastic step of threatening to quit the present government.

MEETINGS HELD WITH RABIN

It was learned, meanwhile, that members of the “religious kibbutz” movement have been meeting with Premier Yitzhak Rabin on the issue of a national coalition. The meetings, which began before Rabin’s visit to the U.S. last month are continuing, sources said. Avraham Stern, leader of the “religious kibbutz” movement, and Zvi Bernstein, secretary general of the NRP, also met with Beigin several weeks ago.

They reportedly urged him to initiate talks with Rabin on forming a national unity government regardless of his own personal prestige. Beigin reportedly told them that it was not personal considerations that prevented him from acting but the fact that Likud was never invited by the Premier to discuss a unity government. According to religious sources, the Likud leader implied that if Rabin summoned him, all the obstacles toward a national government could be resolved between them “within 24 hours.”

The revival of the national unity government idea was said to have stemmed from a dump Rabin movement among certain Knesset members who would like to see Peres assume the Premiership. That idea was dropped as impractical at the moment but a national unity government was viewed as a possible alternative. Rabin has always opposed an all-party coalition embracing Likud on grounds that it would paralyze the government’s ability to make foreign policy decisions.

Nevertheless, discussions are expected to continue with leaders of some of the smaller Knesset factions participating. The matter is not likely to come to a head for some time because Beigin and Herut’s No. 2 man. Haim Landau, will be out of the country for several weeks.