Likud in Smashing Tel Aviv Victory; Kollek Loses Majority in Jerusalem Council

First returns in Israel’s municipal elections yesterday showed Likud winning a smashing upset victory in Tel Aviv, a Labor stronghold for 16 years; Mayor Teddy Kollek shorn of his 16 seat majority in the Jerusalem city council and hard pressed to form a new coalition; and former Labor Minister Shmuel Almogi sweeping the Haifa mayoralty race with a 58 percent majority in what was viewed as a personal triumph rather than one for the Labor Party. In Tel Aviv, the nation’s largest urban center, the Likud candidate, Res. Gen. Shlomo Lahat, popularly known as “Tzitz”, led his party to win 14 seats in the 31 member city council against 11 seats for the Labor Party ticket headed by incumbent Mayor Yehoshua Rabinowitz. But unless the still uncounted soldiers’ vote adds to Likud’s seats. Rabinowitz could remain in office if he is able to establish a coalition with the Independent Liberals and National Religious Party which won two seats each, and with the Aguda Israel which retained its single seat. Such an alignment would give him a 16-14 working majority. Lahat was elated by his strong showing but refused today to discuss the possibility of setting up a new coalition with himself as mayor. Apparently he wants to wait for the soldiers’ vote which could give him a clear majority. Failing that; however, he could form a coalition with the Independent Liberals which would give him a 16-13 majority over a possible Labor-NRP combination.

The unexpected setback for Kollek who was running for a third term was attributed to the failure of most East Jerusalem Arabs to go to the polls. When the polls closed at 11 p.m. last night, no more than 5,000 or 12 percent of the 43,000 eligible voters in East Jerusalem had cast ballots. In the last municipal elections in 1969, 7,800 Arabs or 22 percent of the then 35,000 eligible voters went to the polls. The East Jerusalemites had been a bastion of Kollek’s strength. But the 4,500 votes they gave him yesterday were insufficient for even one extra seat in the city council.

The poor Arab turn-out, despite perfect weather and intensive efforts by all parties to bring out the vote, was attributed in large measure to fear of retaliation by Palestinian activists. The presence of television cameras at the polling stations in East Jerusalem apparently scared off many potential voters–former citizens of Jordan who would be filmed casting ballots in an Israeli election.

Kollek, who had headed a wall-to-wall coalition which he dominated with his Labor majority, will now be forced to make substantial concessions to the minority religious parties in order to establish a governing bloc. The NRP increased its seats from three to four. The Torah Religious Front, headed by Agudist Rabbi Menachem Porush, lost one seat. The Likud, Kollek’s chief opponent, gained one seat and now holds seven. Two one-man factions–the Independent Liberals and the Merchants List–each won a single council seat. While the final results will depend on the soldiers’ vote, no substantial changes are expected.

ALMOGI WINS SMASHING VICTORY

In Haifa, the third of Israel’s major cities, Almogi received 13 percent more votes than his party received in the Knesset balloting. As a former political disciple of the late Mayor Abba Houshi whose strong hand has been sorely missed, Almogi enjoyed immense popularity among the Haifa electorate. The city has lagged behind Tel Aviv and Jerusalem in recent years.

Its importance as the nation’s largest seaport declined with the opening of the new port at Ashdod. New construction has been minimal and the Hadar business district is the same as it was 20 years ago. While tourist hotels have proliferated in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem only one luxury hotel has gone up on the famed Carmel. The city also suffers a severe pollution problem from the adjacent Haifa Bay industrial area of steel mills and oil refineries.

Clearly, local issues outweighed national ones in the municipal contests, not only in Haifa but in other cities and towns. The result was that in some Labor strongholds. Likud prevailed, and in Likud, strongholds, Labor candidates emerged victorious. Likud, however, won a smashing victory in Ramat Gan, an affluent suburb of Tel Aviv where it had previously been the dominant party. Dr. Israel Peled, the Likud candidate, won 11 seats in the town council against five for Labor candidate Res. Col. Gershon Rivlin.

Labor took over from a previous Likud majority in Ashkelon. Likud incumbents in Ashdod, Hadera and Rehovot retained their seats as did Labor incumbents in traditionally, Labor towns.