Cabinet of Hawks

It took Premier Golda Meir an entire month of bargaining to put together a Cabinet after last October's elections, in which her Labor party failed to win an absolute majority. But the time was obviously well spent. Last week she introduced to the Knesset (Parliament) the largest Cabinet in Israeli history. A coalition of five parties representing nearly 90% of the electorate, Golda's Cabinet was so large, in fact, that smaller chairs had to be used to accommodate the 24 ministers at the government table in the parliamentary chamber.

Reflecting the current mood in Israel, the new Cabinet was also the most militant in a decade. In a speech to the Knesset, Mrs. Meir reiterated her objections against Big Four peace plans ("There is no point in playing with formula and compromise suggestions"), endorsed the building of more Israeli settlements in the occupied territories, and stressed that her government would settle for nothing less than a genuine peace accord in which the Arabs would accept Israel's right to exist as a sovereign state.

Famous Name. Under the circumstances, the influence of Israel's leading moderates has declined. Abba Eban, who has advocated trading captured areas for a peace settlement, retained the Foreign Ministry, but he is losing the important information division, which is being set up as a separate ministry. Golda, annoyed by Eban's overly optimistic assessments of Israeli-U.S. relations, was reported to have told intimates that she did not really want "that man" in her Cabinet. Pinhas Sapir, who has spoken out against permanent settlement in the occupied areas, will soon lose the important post of Labor party secretary, but as Finance Minister will have the thankless task of struggling with Israel's growing economic crisis.

By contrast, the hawks are on the rise. Moshe Dayan remains Defense Minister, and his wing of the Labor party has been strengthened by inclusion in the Cabinet of Technocrat Shimon Peres, who once served as David Ben-Gurion's Deputy Defense Minister.

By far the most outspoken hawk of all is a flamboyant newcomer to Israeli politics who bears one of the most celebrated names in Israeli history. He is Major General Ezer Weizman, 45, the former commander of the Israeli air force and the nephew of the late Chaim Weizmann, Israel's first President (Ezer dropped the second "n" as a gesture of independence). A member of the irredentist Gahal party, whose representation in the Cabinet increased from two to six, Weizman shed his uniform only last week to become Transportation Minister.

Weizman believes in sharp reprisals against the Arab terrorists. "If you don't keep giving the Arabs a bloody nose from time to time, the Arab balloon will blow up. We are going to live like this, hacking at each other, for some time to come." A fervent Zionist, Weizman has no patience with Israelis who would turn back occupied territories to the Arabs. "Do I have to preach to my children that I have the right to the land of Israel only where there are no Arabs?" he asks. "Or do I preach to my children that I have a right to this land because it is mine of right?"

Conflicting Ambitions. Sometimes described as a Jewish Jack Kennedy, Weizman is a tall, lean sportsman who in his spare time flies a vintage black Spitfire with red propeller. A Sabra (native Israeli), he learned to fly in the Royal Air Force during World War II. In 1947 he returned to Palestine, where he bombed Arab positions by dropping hand grenades from a Piper Cub. Weizman took over the air force in 1958 and fought for appropriations against tank-minded generals in order to build it into the superb offensive weapon that knocked out the Arab air forces within the first hours of the Six-Day War.

The general already has ambitious plans for the Transport Ministry. "For the love of me," he says, "I do not know why we can have one of the best air forces in the world--sorry, the best --and one of the worst train services. You see, I am not a humble man. But you just watch this wagon move from now on."

Weizman is the brother-in-law of Moshe Dayan, with whom he will serve on the Cabinet's defense committee. Weizman hopes that he can lead the Gahal party into power four years from now. He is fully aware that his main rival may be Dayan, who, of course, has ambitions of his own.

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