A political storm is developing over government plans to cordon off an area between the Gaza Strip and northern Sinai which requires the evacuation of some 2000 Bedouin families living in the region. Opposition to the move by Mapam has already created friction within the Labor Alignment.
The Gahal opposition party which supports the government in this matter, is trying to round up the 30 signatures required to call a special Knesset session during the Passover holidays to debate the controversy. It seemed unlikely, however, that the matter would be discussed before the end of the Passover recess.
Chief of Staff Gen. David Elazar visited the region today to study the arrangements made to evacuate the Bedouins. The government says they will be given full compensation for their housing, water and other possessions left behind and will be relocated in a nearby area under similar conditions, Meanwhile, mass meetings are being set up by opponents and supporters of the scheme. Mapam kibbutzim are opposing the government while kibbutzim of the Labor and Achdut Avodah movements support it.
Israel Galili, a Labor Minister-Without-Portfolio, chided Mapam for its stand in a radio interview last night. This morning the Mapam newspaper, Al Hamishmar, urged Premier Golda Meir not to adopt Galili’s attitude. Mapam leaders are due to meet with Mrs. Meir on the subject tomorrow.
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