THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Rabin: Always on a Knife-Edge
By UZI BENZIMZN
(Copyright 1975, JTA, Inc.)
JERUSALEM — A recent
episode in the Knesset
served to remind Israel's
political community just
how fragile and tenuous is
the government's parlia-
mentary position. In a joint
session of the Knesset's De-
fense and Foreign Affairs
Committee and its Finance
Committee, convened each
Year to ratify the defense
ouclget, the government
found itself in the minority.
Three Knesseters joined
the opposition in its demand
that defense spending be
increased. Two other coali-
tion members (ex-Rafi La-
borites) deliberately ab-
sented themselves from the
session to facilitate the
passing of the opposition's
motion. The government
was defeated 17-18.
Mindful of the established
parliamentary convention
whereby a vote on the na-
tional budget is considered a
vote of confidence in the
Cabinet as such, Premier
Yitzhak Rabin made inten-
sive efforts to revise the
committee's decision.
Rabin's pressure pro-
duced only partial success
— but it was enough. All the
Labor Alignment members
in the two committees
hacked the Cabinet's de-
mand for a revision of the
vote, but one of them, ex-
Rafi-ite Mordechai Ben
Porat, violated his party's
resolution by refusing to
take part in the revised vote.
Two of the NRP mem
bers stuck tp their pre-
vious position and again
voted against the govern-
ment proposal. Although
the government eventually
succeeded in having its
way, the success was the
result of considerable ef-
fort.
One factor that endagers
the stability of the Cabinet
is the unrealiability of sev-
eral of the ex-Rafi members
within Labor. Over the past
year, several Rafi-ites made
trouble for the government
by out-of-line votes in the
Knesset.
The other factor that con-
stantly challenges the gov-
ernment is the NRP "Young
Guard" — Knesseters Ye-
hula Ben Meir and Zevulon
Hammer. The Rafi Knesse-
ters — or some of them —
have objected to government
policy in several cases over
the past year.
By their rebellious voting
pattern both the Rafi Knes-
seters and the NRP Young
Guard have repeatedly dem-
onstrated their disapproval
of policy with regard to se-
curity affairs.
By voting against the
government, Ben Meir and
Hammer not only give ex-
pression to their political
credo but also serve notice
on their party elders that
their ultimate aim is to
capture the leadership.
The same applies to those
members of Rafi who ob-
jected to some of the gov-
ernment's decisions.
This permanent latent
opposition to the Rabin gov-
ernment from within has
become possible because of
the vacuum in the political
leadership left by the disap-
pearance of Golda Meir's
government. Rabin has not
filled this vacuum yet; it
seems that he does not in-
tend to.
Rabin seems set on devel-
oping a novel style of leader-
ship that does not seek its
support in the party but in
the government's popularity
with the general public. By
taking this course, and
flouting the well-worn party
patterns, Rabin is taking
advantage of the simple fact
that the Alignment (and the
Labor Party) has no alter-
native for the premiership.
p
Friday, August 1, 1975 19
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Gush Etzion Being Rebuilt
Gush Etzion was almost completely destroyed after
it was overrun in 1948, but since its recapture during the
1967 war many of the original settlers and their families
have returned to the site of several villages and begun
the rebuilding shown above.
Flint Area News
Tuesday — Bnai Brith
and Bnai Brith Women joint
hoard meeting, 8 p.m., home
of Sybil Goldberg, 5344
Mapletree.
Thursday — Flint. Jewish
Community Council men's
basketball, 6 p.m., Bassett
Park. Cong. Beth Israel ex-
ecutive board meeting, 7
p.m. and regular board
meeting 8 p.m., synagogue.
Births
July 23 — To Mr. and
Mrs. Gerald Rittman, a
daughter, Amy Lynne..
( OBITUARIES
Joseph Weinstein
Joseph Weinstein, owner
and operator of Quality
Market, died July 18 at age
62.
Born in Poland, Mr.
Weinstein lived in Flint for
36 yearns. He was a member
of Cong. Beth Israel and
Bnai Brith.
He is survived by his wife,
Manya; three sons, Marvin
of Oak Park, Sheldon of Lin-
den and Erwin of South-
field; and two grandchil-
dren.
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