Talks on the composition of the new Israeli Cabinet continued today with Premier David Ben Gurion still making an effort to establish a broad coalition government.
It is understood that Ben Gurion has reached an agreement with the Religious Bloc which would involve the assignment of three Cabinet portfolios to their leaders and the continued maintenance of the Ministry of Religion, which the Premier had indicated previously he wished to abandon. The three portfolios to be assigned the Religious Bloc are: Religious Affairs to Rabbi Judah L. Fishman; Immigration to Moshe Shapira; and Social Welfare end Rehabilitation to Rabbi I.M. Levin. All three men held the same positions In the Provisional Cabinet.
Meanwhile, the Mapam has called on Ben Gurion to expand in detail his four-point program enunciated immediately following the elections. The division between the two labor parties is believed to have narrowed down to the foreign, wage and fiscal policies of the proposed coalition government. At the last meeting between the representatives of the two parties, the leftists offered their minimum program in the form of an ultimatum. The Mapai leaders said they wished to consult with members of their central committee before making a decision. It is understood that both groups showed a desire to reach an agreement.
At a national conference of the Fighters Party, formerly the Stern Group, it was decided last night that members of the party would settle in cooperative colonies in the Negev and along the route between Jerusalem and Tel Aviv. Sheikh Youssef Abu Gosh, rich Arab landowner and former Sternist officer, announced that he would join one of the cooperative settlements.
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.
