Mrs Meir and General Dayan at odds

Press, Volume CXIV, Issue 33512, 18 April 1974, Page 10

Mrs Meir and General Dayan at odds

Within little more than a month of her forming a new Cabinet. Mrs Meir has found that the difficulties of holding it together have proved too much for her The difficulties stem, immediately, from the refusal of the Minister of Defence (General Davan) to resign in the face of criticism from within the ruling Labour Party. But at a deeper level they stem from the fact that party alignments in Israel no longer match the deep divisions within Israel about the course the country should follow when dealing with its Arab neighbours. The October war deepened these divisions. The war caused many in Israel to swing towards supporting a negotiated settlement with the Arabs. But those who had been insisting that Israel should retain the occupied lands and be prepared to fight, claimed that the war vindicated their position. That this hard line has considerable support in Israel is shown by the results of the December 31 election and the reaction to the recent guerrilla raid Although General Dayan <ame under severe criticism after the war for his reprehensible blunders ", he remains an unrepentant hard-liner. This has led to a rift between him and Mrs Meir Mrs Meir is inclining towards those members of the Labour Party who. critical of General Dayan, favour making concessions to' the Arab States m order to be able to reach a lasting territorial settlement with them The apparent success of disengagement on the Sinai front has probably reinforced Mrs Meir s belief that a settlement is eventually possible. She has now decided that it is impossible to run her Government so long a> General Dayans opinions cannot be reconciled with those of other members of the Cabinet. Israel s political future depends much on what General Dayan does. Earlier he pressed Mrs Meir to form a Government of national unitv. in which the more Right-wing and nationalistic Likud, the largest I opposition grouping, would be represented. Now that Mrs Meirs attempts to hold her Government j together have failed, he may withdraw the Rafi ] faction, which he heads, from the labour Partv and hnn. it with the Likud and the National Religious I arty The National Religious Party was fonnerlv in the coalition with labour but has declined to • ontinue to work with the labour Party. The Rafi faction the Likud, and the National Religious Party are all anxious that Israel at least not withdraw from the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. If there is an election within the next few months, as now seems likely, it might well be contested bv a new. hard-line coalition between the Likud. Rafi, and National Religious Party, led either by. General Dayan 1 or by the leader of the Likud. Mr Menahem Begin A more moderate Labour Party, led either by Mrs .Meir or another of the senior'Ministers of the present Government would be the other major < ontestant. Such a realignment would probably spare the country further political uncertainty, which it : < an ill afford while it is. to all intents and purposes, persistently ready for war. But were the Labour Party to be defeated, hopes for a lasting settlement tn the Middle East in the near future would probably be pursued in vain