Barak calls on Olmert to resign
Former Prime Minister Barak says if Olmert doesn’t resign by May 28 Labor primaries he will push for early elections; ‘under my leadership Labor will join coalition with Kadima only if Olmert agrees to step down,’ he says
Barak urged the prime minister to follow the example of former IDF Chief of Staff Dan Halutz who resigned in January over the army's poor performance against the Shiite organization.
Barak's announcement comes amid increased pressure on Olmert to resign in the wake of a scathing report that censured his handling of the conflict.
A government-appointed commission led by retired Justice Eliyahu Winograd concluded in its partial report last month that Olmert had taken Israel to war hastily and had failed to envision an exit plan.
"The Winograd report is harsh and its conclusions demand that officials draw personal conclusions. The (former) chief of staff drew these conclusions … I believe the prime minister will find the right way to draw his own conclusions," Barak said.
Barak added that if Olmert did not resign by the date of the Labor primaries at the end of May, he would push for early elections.
"If on May 28, I am elected leader of the Labor Party, and the prime minister has not yet reached personal conclusions, I will push for new Knesset elections," he told a press conference in Hadera.
Barak said that under his leadership, the Labor Party would join a coalition government with the ruling Kadima party only if Olmert agreed to step down at the end of a "transitional period."
Barak added that at the end of this period he expected Kadima to either elect a new leader who would form a new government or to call for early elections.
"In the transitional period, until the establishment of a new government or until elections … I will be willing to contribute my experience to implement the necessary amendments," he added.
Barak has said in the past that should he win the Labor race, he would seek to serve as defense minister in a Kadima-led coalition government.
Labor chairmanship candidate, MK Ofir Pines-Paz, said in response to Barak's statement: "Barak has stopped keeping silent quietly and he is now keeping silent out loud. He is making opposing statements.
"The public is fed up with Barak's double speech and ambiguity and demands comprehensible answers from its leadership. Compared to his vague perspective, I will insist on clear judgments and demand that the prime minister to draw personal conclusions and resign. Otherwise Labor will quit the government," said Pines-Paz.
The Winograd report faulted Labor's present leader, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, over his failure to seek sufficient military advice to counterbalance his limited military knowledge.
Peretz, whose leadership is being challenged by Barak and former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon, vowed to give up the defense portfolio in exchange for the Finance Ministry if reelected.
