Peretz accuses Barak of obsession with being PM
Labor faction meeting results in petty accusations between current, former chairmen. 'You're detached from reality,' Peretz tells Barak, who replies, 'I have given up competing with you in being pathetic'
Former Labor Party Chairman Amir Peretz attacked current Labor Party Chairman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Monday, telling him he was "divorced from reality" during a Labor faction meeting.
"You have an obsession with being prime minister, but you have no agenda. What is your economic agenda? What is your social agenda? What is your political agenda?" he asked.
Peretz continued, "You haven't been wise enough to hold on to my achievements as chairman. You should stop being so isolated and start taking advice from the excellent field officials this party has throughout Israel."
Barak responded, "Amir, I have given up competing with you in being pathetic, so I will not respond to your speech, and every (party) member will judge for himself. I take my mission to return this party to the leadership of the country very seriously, and I intend to do so with or without you."
Peretz's speech came after Barak opened the meeting with an announcement that the party should prepare for an upcoming election, and appoint 8,000 ballot representatives.
One of the faction members present said that many did not understand his meaning. "He spoke about an election and nobody knew what he was talking about," he recounted.
The Labor faction met to discuss the party's upcoming coalition tasks, on the background of the embarrassing incident that occurred during Sunday's cabinet meeting, during which Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer was recorded without his knowledge saying that "if (Barak) wants to commit suicide, he will commit suicide," referring to Barak's leadership of the Labor Party.
A few hours later, Barak said to the bereaved families: "Withdrawal from the government is closer than you think." He was referring to Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and the conclusions of the Winograd report.
"I agree that the prime minister should take responsibility for the conclusions and retire in the near future," he added. Olmert's associates responded: "If he wants to resign, let him."
