More than 15,000 persons marched through central Tel Aviv last night in a vigorous but orderly demonstration against illegal settlements on the West Bank by the Gush Emunim. The rally was organized by Mapam and Moked in cooperation with the Movement for a Sane Policy. (In New York, an ad hoc coalition of some 100 prominent Jews signed a statement supporting the demonstration. See separate story.)
The demonstration was held on the eve of today’s crucial Cabinet meeting at which the government debated the issue of West Bank settlement policy and the specific issue of the Gush Emunim squatters who have been encamped near the Kadum army base in Samaria since last November.
(By late evening, the Cabinet was still in session for the eighth consecutive hour. Inside sources said the debate up to that point produced few surprises. Most ministers expressed their well-known and oft-stated views. Observers believed, before the session began, that Premier Yitzhak Rabin or Minister-Without-Portfolio Yisrael Galili would propose a “compromise” Solution which would in effect rule that Kadum is not a site at which the government wishes to permit a Jewish settlement and that the settlers would be offered alternative sites. The Kadum settlers, according to these observers, were expected to be given a “period of grace” in which to vacate the camp and move to an approved site.) (See P. 3 for late development.)
GUSH SCORED BY SPEAKERS
Truckloads of Mapam youngsters began arriving in Tel Aviv yesterday afternoon from kibbutzim all over the country to attend the rally. They brought banners and placards denouncing the Gush Emunim and their leader, Rabbi Moshe Levinger of Kiryat Arba near Hebron.
The long list of speakers at the rally was headed by the two Mapam Cabinet members, Health Minister Victor Shemtov and Absorption Minister Shlomo Rosen. Mapam Secretary General Meir Talmi declared “We are here to say no to Kadum.”
Arye Eliav, an independent Knesset member and former Labor Party Secretary General, scored the Gush for “hiding behind the skirts of the army” at Kadum and described Levinger as a “high noon gunman” who was polarizing the nation. Levinger went on trial last month for insulting Israel army officers and interfering with the performance of their duties on the West Bank. He also faces possible indictment on charges of inciting his followers to violence against Arabs in Hebron.
Prof. Yehoshua Arieli, another prominent “dove.” scored last month’s march by the Gush Emunim and their followers through the West Bank as deliberately provocative. “They march when they know the army is protecting them and will come to the rescue if they get in trouble. It is unthinkable that this group should dictate policy to the government.” Arieli said. Shulamit Aloni, head of the Civil Rights faction in the Knesset, described the Gush as “hooligans and fanatical chauvinists.”
The demonstrators marched a short distance through streets adjoining the municipal square. The only incident was a brief scuffle between some of the marchers and nationalist Betar youths who waved pro-Gush slogans.
COALITION IN DANGER
Overshadowing the Kadum issue is the possibility of a crisis that could bring down the Rabin coalition whatever the Cabinet’s decision is and possibly destroy the Labor Party’s alignment with Mapam. Leaders of the National Religious Party which ardently supports the Gush met with Rabin late last week and urged him not to evacuate the Kadum squatters against their will. They were reportedly reminded by the Premier that the government had never promised that the Kadum settlement was permanent and, in fact, always stressed its temporary nature.
The NRP Executive met later and adopted a resolution to use all of its means to oppose the evacuation of Kadum. This was interpreted in political circles as an ultimatum that the NRP would quit the coalition government if the Cabinet decision went against the Gush. At a subsequent meeting with Rabin, Religious Affairs Minister Yitzhak Raphael denied that the NRP Executive intended an ultimatum. He said the resolution was only a guideline for NRP ministers.
In the event that the government takes no decisive action against the Kadum squatters, the possibility of a Mapam withdrawal from the Labor Alignment would increase. There is already considerable sentiment within the faction, especially among its younger members for Mapam to strike out on its own in the next elections.
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