The Israel Parliament last night rejected a leftist attempt to censure Premier David Ben Gurion in his capacity of Defense Minister over the manner in which Israeli police and troops searched the Arab village of Wadi Ara three months ago in a hunt for smuggled goods.
The government received a vote of confidence by 52 to 14, with 27 abstentions. The abstainees included Mr. Ben Gurion and deputies of the General Zionists, Agudah and Progressive Parties and a two-member faction which recently broke away from the Mapam.
At the time of the search Mapam and Arab deputies in Parliament charged that the troops had used unnecessary force in searching the village. The Mapam rejected Mr. Ben Gurion’s explanation and said that it would introduce a motion of non-confidence in the Defense Minister. The measure came to a vote only last night.
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.
