38 ;Friday, April 11, 1986
THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
NEWS
New Crisis May
Topple Coalition
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"Total Office Service"
More than just an office supply store
Jerusalem (JTA) — The pros-
pect of a new Labor-Likud coali-
tion crisis escalated last Tues-
day when Prime Minister Shi-
mon Peres told the opening ses-
sion of the Labor Party conven-
tion here that he intends to
dismiss Finance Minister Yit-
zhak Modai.
He told the audience at the
Binyanei Hacoma, which in-
cluded Foreign Minister Yitzhak
Shamir and other Likud minis-
ters among the invited guests,
that he considers remarks by
Modai in newspaper interviews
to have been a premeditated' and
unpardonable attack on gov-
ernment policy. As quoted by
the press they were disparaging
•to Peres personally.
Peres reportedly informed
Shamir of his intention to fire
Modai, a Likud Liberal, and
Shamir retorted that if he did,
the unity coalition which has
governed Israel for 19 months
would be dissolved. Under the
coalition agreement, the Prime
Minister of any party cannot
dismiss a minister of the other
party without the consent of the
other party's leader. Israeli law
empowers the Prime Minister to
sack any minister. If Peres fol-
lows through with his threat he
would be on firm legal ground
but would have violated the co-
alition agreement.
Shamir said in a radio inter-
view that there was indeed a
crisis but he hoped it would
eventually be resolved. Peres
has indicated he will dismiss
Modai at the next Cabinet ses-
sion if Modai does not resign
first, and has demanded that
Likud support his decision.
Modai declared categorically
that he has no intention of quit-
ting and Likud is' backing him.
But on Wednesday, Modai
backed down, saying he would
resign if Peres demanded it. He
said he would do so for the good
of the nation.
Pefes, in his speech to the
convention, recalled the warning
he delivered to the Cabinet last
November after he was attacked
publicly by Minister of Com-
merce and Industry Ariel Sha-
ron. Sharon issued an apology
but Peres made it Clear that un-
collegial behavior by any minis-
ter in the future would lead to
his dismissal even if the coali-
tion was endangered.
He said Modai had been
warned over some foreign policy
criticisms recently. He said his
remarks published in the news-
pipers were not a slip of the
tongue but a deliberate attack
on government policy. Economy
recovery depends on a "real
partnership ... mutual confi-
dence ... and hot the over-
weening price of any indi-
vidual," Peres said.
Modai was quoted as calling
Peres "a flying Prime Minister,"
an implied criticism of his four-
day visit to the U.S. recently
and earlier trips aboard and
trips planned in the future. He
maintained that Peres had little
to do with the sieccesses of the
economic austerity program.
The 8,000 convention dele-
gates are expected to move to
Tel Aviv for two days of deliber-
ations. Unlike the Herut con-
vention last month, which dis-
integrated in
because of
and still unresolved
the bitter — and
— power struggle between
Shamir and Housing Minister
David Levy, the Labor Party
convention was expected to be a
tame, routine affair. Now with a
coalition crisis looming, it will
be the focus of intense political
speculation and media attention.
Israelis Are In
A Moderate Mood
BY ZE'EV CHAFETS
Special to The Jewish News
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Editor's Note: This column,
which mentions the popularity of
Israeli Finance Minister
Yitzchak Modai, was written a
few days before the latest politi-
cal crisis in Israel in .which
PriMe Minister Peres says he
will replace Modai for insulting
him, increasing the chances that
Israel's fragile coalition govern-
ment is about to collapse. -
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percent and imposing a series of
onerous taxes on an already
sorely taxed public. They also
have presided over a growing
rate of unemployment. These
are hardly. the kind of policies
calculated •to win friends; and
,yet, here they are, two de-
manding and uncharismatic
ministers, leading the political
hit parade.
Who are Israel's most popular
The success of the economic
politicians? According to a re- recovery, which has stopped in-
cent poll in Ha'aretz, the coun- ' flation in its tracks and restored
ty's leading . . morning paper, an element of fiscal stability, is
they are Prime Minister Shimon an obvious reason- for the pop-
Peres and Finance Minister tdarity of Modai and Peres. But
Yitzhak Modal. Roughly " two there is more to it than that. The
thirds of the pulgic approve of prime minister and finance
the way 'they are doing their minister are centrists who
jobs, a fact .that Says as much approach their jobs with a work-,
about the moocl.in Israel as a-day pragmatism. Neither one
about the performance Of the could be called an inspirational
two ministers. .
leader. That is. preCisely what a
Peres • and Modai are the good many people find inspiring
,erchitects of Israel's•economic' about them.
recovery. plan. During the past
After alniost a decade • of
year they have been responsible superheated ideological battles
wages hyamost-25, n eeonweic, uplksavako kileJ
a
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