Peretz: Olmert spreading lies

VIDEO – With only eight days to go before the elections, Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz launched an unprecedented attack on Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert for “spreading lies.”

Peretz’ anger came after rumors that Labor and Kadima were holding coalition talks.

“It seems that Olmert’s advisors have defected to Ale Yarok (party supporting legalizing soft drugs) and therefore they are disseminating hallucinatory statements,” said Peretz after touring southern Israel in an intensive day.

Peretz touring the south (Video: Yaron Brenner)

According to the Labor chairman, “Olmert is hiding behind his advisors, and is spreading lies about coalition talks at never were and were never made. He is painting the election campaign and the political system with political maneuvering. We are fed up with Olmert’s irrelevant political maneuvering.”

Peretz warned during a conversation with Ynet that there were no talks of the kind, and that no one is authorized to discuss ant coalition or other issue with no representative of any other party.

“Olmert, who never formed a coalition, is playing virtual games and forming imaginary coalitions that never were, and distributing portfolios to nonexistent ministers,” he said.

'Unbelievable political drama on March 28'

Peretz ended his tour of the south with a visit at the home of Labor candidate Professor Avishay Braverman.

“Take note: on March 28 an unbelievable political drama will take place. What’s happening in the polls will not materialize…I am warning those voting for Kadima that 70 percent of them are right-wingers,” Peretz said.

He did not spare Ariel Sharon his criticism. According to Peretz, “we are happy with the disengagement, but when we ask who built the settlements and who left us in the swamp, the question that rises is do people who find solutions to problems they created get credit in Israel.”

He also attacked Shimon Peres: “How could it be that Peres and Tzachi Hanegbi are sitting together? Hanegbi was on the same balcony. He, who was once a victim of incitement, became a poodle? What is happening in Kadima today is stealing public opinion.”

Kadima: Labor begging us

Despite Peretz’s criticism, in rumors of a coalition government are surfacing in Kadima and Labor. Both sides say the finance portfolio will remain with Kadima after the elections.

“It is clear to us and them that the finance portfolio will remain with Kadima,” a senior Kadima official said.

Kadima officials spoke of “contacts ahead of the formation of a government.”

“Labor is begging us not to slam the door in the face of Amir Peretz and to avoid saying that the treasury will remain with Kadima,” an official said.

Over the weekend, Kadima officials reported contacts with Labor over the possibility of giving Labor the Treasury portfolio should Kadima win the elections and form a coalition with Labor.

“There is an open channel through declarations to the media, and a hidden channel which involves senior officials from both parties,” a Kadima official said.

“Either way, it is clear that Labor understands it has no chance to win and is already safeguarding places in the future cabinet,” the official added.

Ronny Sofer contributed to the report