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The question in every Israeli's mind was: Why did the Premier get involved in such tawdry troubles? There was no ready answer. Rabin, educated in a socialist home and trained in the spartan Israeli army, was hardly a playboy. Nonetheless, the Rabins live well by Israeli standards, and Mrs. Rabin has a taste for expensive knickknacks and U.S.-purchased dresses.
As the shock wore off, Rabin won sympathy and applause from Israelis for giving up power. Said the English-language Jerusalem Post: "He has done a service to the nation by his act. It will help clarify the standards of rectitude that the nation expects from its public officials." Rabin, however, left his government in a constitutional and political mess. Technically, he could not resign; that is against Israeli law. When he called for elections last December, Rabin became head of a caretaker government; now he cannot abdicate that responsibility. Explained an Israeli legal expert: "Even if the government allowed Rabin to take a 'vacation'—which would be unprecedented—he would still carry the responsibility for the actions of the government." Nevertheless, that is the course the Cabinet is expected to take early this week.
Other problems complicated the Labor Party's choice of a successor. Only six weeks ago, Rabin won re-endorsement as head of the party by narrowly defeating Defense Minister Shimon Peres by 41 out of nearly 3,000 votes. Party bylaws state that a replacement can be chosen only at another convention. In hectic days of negotiation after the bombshell, party chieftains decided that the 809-member central committee of the party could make the choice.
New Slate. The man with perhaps the strongest claim on the right of succession was the suave, tough-minded Peres (see box). There was speculation that Foreign Minister Yigal Allon, 58, might contest Peres for the nomination. Allon, whose strength lies with the dovish left-wing Mapam faction of the party, eventually decided not to do so. Thus the path was cleared for a party-unifying compromise: Peres would run for Premier, his ally Abba Eban would be nominated for his old post of Foreign Minister, and Allon would be offered Defense. On Sunday, the Central Committee voted overwhelmingly for Peres to head the Labor Party slate.
Even with a new slate, Labor faces a potential electoral catastrophe in May. Tired, internally riven, battered by earlier scandals, the party was in poor shape for a fight before the latest disaster. Its strength in the 120-seat Knesset has dropped in the past twelve years, from 65 seats to 53. Moreover, the party bears an image of listlessness and indecision.
Says a spokesman for the right-wing Likud coalition: "Everything leads to the conviction that Labor will not head the government any longer." Not quite. Likud Leader Menachem Begin is still in the hospital after a severe heart attack, and Yigael Yadin, head of the upstart Democratic Movement for Change, is fighting libel charges. Even so, Labor Stalwart Abba Eban confessed to doubts that the party "can still turn the wheel and gain momentum." If not, the sad end of Yitzhak Rabin could be followed by the demise of the Labor government he has suddenly ceased to lead.