A meeting last night of the 70-member executive committee of the General Zionist Party adjourned without taking any action on the latest proposal by Premier David Ben Gurion that the centrist party join the coalition government. The executive will meet again in a week.
It is reported that the General Zionists have demanded the resignation of all members of the present government and the constitution of a new Cabinet based on a new national program, as a condition for joining the coalition.
The major demands in relation to a program are that the government adopt a “more liberal” attitude toward free enterprise, reorganize the civil service, unify the various educational systems, and nationalize the Histadrut-sponsored labor exchanges, medical clinics and transportation cooperatives.
The majority of the speakers at last night’s session opposed joining the present government. It is believed that if the party does agree to join the Cabinet, more portfolios will be created and additional positions will be distributed to the Mapai and the Religious Bloc in order to balance the portfolios which will be assigned to the centrists.
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.
