HARRY GOLDSTEIN

WISHES TO THANK HIS FAMILY
AND FRIENDS FOR ALL THEIR
CONCERN AND GOOD WISHES
DURING HIS RECENT ILLNESS
AND RECOVERY.

I COMMENT I

Increase
your interest
in Israel
100 /01E11 %0N

• $10,000 yields $25,974 in ten years

• Non-callable

• May be put after 5 years

• Also available for IRA's, Keogh's, Retirement and
other Trusts

FIXED
9301 /0 CURRENT
CURRENT INCOME

• $10,000 minimum

• 10% for $100,000+

• Interest paid semi-annually

• Redeemable after 5 years at 1004

• Non-callable for 5 years

PRIME+1%

VARIABLE RATE CURRENT INCOME

• $5,000 minimum priced at 100%

• $100,000+ priced at 98.5%

• Minimum rate 7.54—no maximum

• Due November 1, 1992

EXCLUSIVE

A driving financial force,
Ampal-American Israel Corporation
enables Israel to grow productively.

FINE LAMINATED PRODUCTS

For further information about Ampal, your American
corporate connection to Israel, and a prospectus, call:

Kitchens

Bathrooms

Home Furniture

Office Furniture

•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•

custom cabinets
countertops
vanities
medicine cabinets
tables
bedroom suites
desks • credenzas
bookcases • partitions

464-0067

Al Schonwetter

Representative, Ampal Securities Corporation

(313) 547-7056 or
1-800-445-6508 Operator 903

Member SIPC
This is neither an offer to sell nor a solicitation of an
offer to buy securities. The offer is made only by the
Prospectus which may be obtained in any state
wherein the underwriter may lawfully offer the securities.

PROVIDING A FOUNDATION ON WHICH ISRAEL BUILDS

Commercial • Residential
37493 Schoolcraft, Livonia

Mon., Tues., Fri.. & Sat. 10-5:30; Wed. & Thurs. 10-8:00

31205 Orchard Lake Rd. at 14 Mile• In Hunters Square
Farmington Hills
737-7970

30

FRIDAY, JANUARY 8, 1988

Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Shamir: An historic opportunity to push for
political reforms.

Israel Needs New
Election Process

DR. ALON BEN-MEIR

T

he continuing dis-
agreement over the
proposed international
Mideast peace conference is
but one manifestation of
Israel's current and unfor-
tunate political paralysis. It
results from the attempt by
two men — and two parties —
to govern together despite be-
ing ideologically and
politically incompatible.
When they do agree, when
compromise is achieved, it is
usually at the expense of
Israel's national interest.
Admittedly, in its present
form the Israeli government
has achieved a remarkable
degree of economic stability;
however, the cost of preserv-
ing this 39-month-old "mar-
riage of convenience" between
Likud and Labor has been
both paralysis on major
political issues and recurrent,
debilitating internal conflict
within the government.
Many observers of the
Israeli political scene argue
that new elections could solve
the country's present political
crisis. Unfortunately, Israel's
political malaise transcends
the identity of the current
government leaders. It is
embedded in the political
system itself.
As long as elections in
Israel are essentially tests of
party strength — and not
judgments on individual can-
didates — a new election can
result only in the situation in
which no one party is able to
command a majority (or even
a near-majority) in the
Knesset (where consent of at
least 61 members out of 120
is required to form a govern-
ment). This is the electoral
arena where bold reforms
must be undertaken.
Political parties in Israel,
such as Likud and Labor,
serve more than just an elec-
toral function; they are a way
of life. Often, the job security
and welfare of a party

member depends directly on
the party and its national
network of offices and welfare
services. While the populari-
ty of smaller parties may
change from one election to
another, Likud, Labor and
the religious parties continue
to enjoy the general support
of their respective
constituencies.
Yet, it is the smaller, and
often newer, parties that con-
tinue to hold the balance of
power in the Knesset. During
each election cycle, new par-
ties claiming to have the
answer to Israel's ills grab an
important piece of the elec-
toral pie. Why? Because only
one 120th of the total popular
vote (less than one percent) is
needed to qualify for a seat in
the Knesset.
This system has the merit
of being very democratic, but
it does create Knessets in
perpetual uproar, and more
often than not gives the very
small parties degrees of power
highly disproportionate to
their electoral or parliamen-
tary numbers.
When the Likud party
came to power in 1977, it was
compelled — like Labor before
it — to form a coalition
government with the
religious parties (who join
any government as long as
their religious concerns are
met). The 1984 elections
created even more political in-
stability: Both Likud and
Labor emerged from the elec-
tion in a virtual dead heat
and neither was able to deal
effectively with Israel's rapid-
ly deteriorating economy.
The leaders of both Likud
and Labor must together call
for political reform legislation
that can provide the nation
with a strong, democratic
government that will enjoy a
real mandate from the elec-
torate. Israel must have a
government that can act
swiftly, intelligently and
courageously in the face of
the political dynamics of the

