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June 10, 1988 - Image 37

Resource type:
Text
Publication:
The Detroit Jewish News, 1988-06-10

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2523 W. MAPLE ROAD

Soldier's Soldier Eitan:
Next Defense Minister?

Jerusalem (JTA) — Rafael
Eitan, former Israel Defense
Force chief of staff, is shaping
up as a potent political force
on the far right, and
observers here do not rule out
the possibility that he could
be the next defense minister.
Eitan presently heads the
Tzomet party and is its sole
representative in the
Knesset. He recently emerg-
ed from an internal party con-
flict with his reputation
enhanced.
A career soldier until his
retirement in 1982, Eitan
joined the ultranationalist
Techiyah party. But he broke
with Techiyah last year in a
stormy confrontation with its

Rafael Eitan:
A plain-spoken puritan.

firebrand Knesset member,
Geula Cohen.
Their falling-out reportedly
was over the No. 2 spot on
Techiyah's 1988 election list,
which is headed by the par-
ty's nominal leader, Tel Aviv
University physics Professor
Yuval Ne'eman.
Many political observers
predicted Eitan would quick-
ly fade and fail on his own. In-
stead, he helped found
Tzomet and was overwhelm-
ingly elected its leader. Accor-
ding to recent polls, the par-
ty will make a respectable
showing in the Knesset elec-
tions in November.
Eitan himself is projecting
an image of forceful integrity.
Having received a report of ir-
regularities in the original
Tzomet elections, he demand-
ed that the entire slate stand
for new elections including
himself.
Although his leadership
position is hardly threatened,
he has risked defections by
some of Tzomet's younger
members. But the demonstra-
tion of puritan values on the
part of this hard-bitten, plain-
spoken soldier has added to
his popularity.
In part, his improved

political situation is due to
the general strengthening of
Israel's right wing since the
Palestinian uprising began
more than six months ago.
Eitan has never concealed his
hard-line views.
He advocates the wholesale
deportation of Palestinian
"agitators" and of the fathers
of young stone-throwers, as a
punitive and deterrent
measure. There are many in
Israel today who appreciate
such ideas.
According to some political
observers, Eitan's star may
rise if Likud wins the
November elections and
reinstates Yitzhak Shamir as
prime minister. Shamir may
be loath to name his Herut
critic and political rival Ariel
Sharon to the office of defense
minister.
While presumably he would
choose his close political ally
Moshe Arens for the job, that
may prove unfeasible in
terms of Likud's internal
politics. Under such cir-
cumstances, Shamir might
find Eitan an attractive
alternative.
Eitan's long military career
was badly tarnished by the
report of the Kahan Commis-
sion in 1982. The commission,
headed by the Supreme Court
president, Justice Yitzhak
Kahan, conducted an inquiry
into the role of the Israel
Defense Force in the Shatila
and Sabra refugee camps
massacre in west Beirut.
The massacre was the work
of Lebanese Christian
Phalangists allied with
Israel. The commission made
no recommendations with
respect to Eitan, noting that
he was on the point of retir-
ing. The implication was that
had his retirement not been
imminent, the commission
might have urged his removal
as chief of staff.
But the Likud and Shamir
have never been enthusiastic
over the Kahan report. In the
event of a Likud election vic-
tory and the fact that the
massacre is six years in the
past, Shamir may feel he can
ignore it and elevate Eitan to
a post he might well have at-
tained had fate not
intervened.

Africans Ask

Jerusalem — 'Ibgo, the Ivory
Coast and Ghana have asked
the Hadassah Medical
Organization to join with
them in establishing
cooperative programs for the
treatment of eye disorders.

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THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS 37

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