Peretz. Criticized
Photo: AFP
Katsav (R) and Olmert
Photo: Gil Yohanan
Labor officials: Peretz cheated us
Following attacks on Labor chairman for his attempt to set up right-wing government, party officials also remember to criticize him; senior party member: Peretz should meet with Olmert as soon as possible
The public criticism on Knesset Member Amir Peretz's attempt to set up a right-wing government is having its impact. Senior Labor Party officials were attempting Monday morning to explain how the support they gave Peretz in recent days was founded on a "lack of understanding of what was going on."
The senior officials accuse the Labor chairman of hiding his intentions.
Speaking to Ynet, a senior official said: "We were cheated. Only later was it possible to see the intention of Peretz and (MK) Eitan Cabel when they spoke about an emergency social government."
Labor members at president's residence (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
According to the official, even during Sunday's meeting with President Moshe Katsav, the real significance of the emergency social government was unclear.
"I was sure that we were going to the president to nominate Amir," said a senior party official. "We didn't know that in the end a right-wing government would come out of this."
"We weren't consulted before this whole maneuver was started, and only yesterday, at the meeting, I started to understand that something here wasn't right, something was screwed up," he added.
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"When he spoke about an emergency social government, I understood that this would be a government based on the social issue. Amir didn't tell me what an emergency social government was in his opinion. Even at the president's office, it wasn't on the table, to set up a right-wing government. There was talk of the social issue, but it wasn't on the table that this would a right-wing government," the senior official charged.
Almost everyone opposes right-wing government
On Sunday, a meeting was held at the Labor headquarters between MK Peretz and the first ten members of the Labor's Knesset list. During the meeting, most of the MKs expressed their opposition to continue the maneuver with Right-wing parties. With that, Shelly Yechimovitz and Ephraim Sneh continued to support the maneuver, in order to set up an emergency social government.
"They hid from us what really happened," said a senior Labor member. "Amir worked with Eitan Cabel, with Shelly Yechimovitz and with Ephraim Sneh. I didn't understand what was really going on there. They simply cheated us."
In the end, it was decided to retreat during the meeting, and to try and calm the criticism on the intention to set up an emergency social government with right-wing parties.
The officials claimed that Peretz must meet Olmert as early as possible.
"It's not clear why he hasn't met with him," a senior party member told Ynet.
"Every time he wins, it goes up to his head," another senior party official said.
"We were supportive at first, after the elections, and we could have come to negotiations with such a spirit. Instead of doing that, we'll now come to negotiations like losers," the official said.
Parties march to president's residence
Meanwhile, President Moshe Katsav is continuing a series of consultations with representatives of the various parties aimed at advancing the next government.
First, Katsav met with representatives of the National Union-National Religious Party, who are expected not to recommend a prime minister nominee to the president, claiming that "Labor Chairman Amir Peretz does not intend to head a social emergency government."
At the start of the meeting, the party leaders criticized the Labor Party for "defaming" their party.
National Union-NRP leaders at Katsav's residence (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Representatives of the Pensioners Party, who support Olmert, were the next to arrive at the president's residence. The party's no. 2, Yaakov Ben-Yizri, said at the start of the meeting with the president: "We prefer to reach honorable negotiations and agreements with the Palestinians."
The march will continue into the afternoon with a meeting with Meretz members, and towards the evening Katsav will meet representatives of the United Arab List-Ta'al.
Pensioners representatives at president's residence (Photo: Gil Yohanan)
Meretz was not happy to hear that Peretz was operating to consolidate a government with right-wing parties, and the party is not expected to recommend the Labor chairman as a candidate for the prime minister before the president.
In a statement, Meretz said that the faction believed Labor Party disgraced itself in the maneuver, which was filled with fraud toward voters.
Knesset Member Ran Cohen, head of Meretz's coalition negotiations team, said that "if Amir Peretz is seeking to set up a coalition in cooperation with extreme right-wing parties such as the Likud, Israel Our Home, the National Union-NRP, Meretz won't nominate him as a candidate for prime minister."
Members of the National Union-NRP, as mentioned, will recommend Peretz to president Katzav, after Peretz approached them on Sunday in an attempt to assemble a block against Olmert.
The United Arab List-Ta'al party, which won an additional mandate yesterday at the expense of the Labor Party, will meet with Katsav, but has no intention of recommending any candidate. Later in the week, representatives of the Likud will meet with the president.
On Sunday, Katsav expressed his criticism over the political maneuvers.
"I have a feeling that not everyone understands the essence of the negotiations," he told journalists.
The president said that during the meetings, one Knesset member told him that his party wanted to check the platforms of two candidates before deciding which one was more suitable to assemble the government. The president replied that the parties have to examine the reality as it is, and to recommend to him who should assemble the next government.
"I don't have time for examinations. I don't want parties to see consultations as a tool to improve their bargaining power. I expected that a consolidation of the stance won't be to the benefit of coalition talks," the president told journalists.
"The law limits me to advise a candidate within a week of the election results publication. What guides me in my recommendation of a candidate is his ability to concentrate support of at least 61 Knesset members. A stable government should be set up, as wide as possible, with life expectancy of no political crises that will bring national appeasement," Katsav said.
