Word: navon
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...Year's message to the Israeli people, he wished them "a boring year of peace." But for Yitzhak Navon, Israel's President, 1983 may be anything but boring or peaceful. Navon, 61, is being touted as a strong candidate who could unite the divided Labor Party to challenge Prime Minister Menachem Begin and his Likud coalition should Begin call new elections this year...
...surge of interest in Navon in Israel inspired unusual caution in Washington as the Israeli President began a ten-day tour of the U.S. with a visit to the White House last week. Mindful that any sign of favoritism toward Navon might be interpreted as meddling in Israeli politics, Administration officials were careful to stress the "informal" nature of Navon's visit. They were particularly anxious not to antagonize Begin, who is scheduled to come to Washington next month. Thus President Reagan and Navon met alone for only 20 minutes before sitting down to lunch with Vice President George...
...Navon, too, was being careful, confining his statements to "nonpartisan" concerns. He told the President that even those in Israel who support Reagan's Sept. 1 peace plan, which calls for the Israeli-occupied West Bank to be linked to Jordan, fear that the proposal could be "misinterpreted" to allow for an independent Palestinian state one day. After a speech before the National Press Club and a tour of Mount Vernon with his wife Ofira, Navon flew on to New York City and Boston for talks with American Jewish groups and others...
...moment of candor, he confessed that there had been times during his tenure when he found it tough to keep silent. "It is not that I don't have my own opinion," he said, "but I am paid not to think aloud." One moment when Navon could not keep silent was after the Beirut massacre in mid-September, when he publicly expressed his shock and sorrow and called for a commission of inquiry to investigate Israel's role. He said later that if Begin had not appointed a commission, he would have resigned...
...commission's findings, which are slated to be released next month, could bear on Navon's political future. If they implicate the government, Begin is expected to respond by calling new elections. The Labor Party will then have to decide whether to enter the campaign under the leadership of Shimon Peres, who has lost to Begin twice, or choose a new leader. Navon has said he would accept the job only if he was uncontested, meaning that both Peres and former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin would have to step aside. Given the party's divisions, that...