Mofaz and Livni
Photo: George Ginsberg
Ayalon
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
Barak
Photo: Dudi Vaaknin
Labor primaries ahead? Ayalon may challenge Barak
While Mofaz bashes rival contender Livni as Kadima primary elections heat up, Labor's Ayalon announces he may decide to run against current chairman Barak
In one rink we have Transportation Minister Shaul Mofaz
vs. Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and
in the other stands Defense Minister Ehud Barak
opposite MK Ami Ayalon (Labor).
In another attempt to slam Livni, Mofaz attempted persuading Kadima party members in the northern city of Kiryat Shmona that he is the best choice for their party’s chairmanship.
In Agreement
Attila Somfalvi
Top two Kadima leadership candidates display unity in response to Barak's attack on foreign minister
During his tour of the city the transportation minister said, “I came here to Kiryat Shmona which I have been very familiar for many years.
“I served here when I was in the IDF and in my position as defense minister. This is a city that underwent more than any other in Israel.
“I was here in the difficult hours. We reached decisions here alongside the local leadership. I ask you today, who you would want to make decisions for you on significant questions regarding the agenda of this region and additional areas in Israel, and especially here in Kiryat Shmona, the city that absorbed most of the missiles.”
In his attempt to display his strength over that of his competitor, Mofaz said, “Who are you voting for? A strong leader who is able to reach the right decisions and lead Israel and the region in the right direction or a weak leader lacking the experience and ability to reach these decisions?”
The minister also criticized Resolution 1701 which ended the Second Lebanon War, saying that it did not solve the problem with Hizbullah.
Ayalon: I'll have to make a decision
On the Labor front, even though MK Ami Ayalon promised not to publicly criticize Labor chairman Barak prior to the next elections, he was unable to resist.In a conversation with Ynet, Ayalon said, “I will have to reach a decision in October. The Labor party is not a one-man party.”
He continued saying, “I didn’t think that we would be in the difficult situation we are in today, a year after Barak was elected.
“I thought that right after the primaries we would need to build something strange called political leadership. We had a prime opportunity. Barak should have enlisted former Defense Minister Amir Peretz, MK Ophir Pines-Paz and MK Avishay Braverman, me and others in order to create a team with an outlook and a track record of productivity.
“This didn’t happen. The public understands that this is a complex issue which we can’t deal with. The public does not want a solitary genius to solve all the problems but rather a team player.
“A person who doesn’t know how to work in a team will never know how to do so,” he said.
Despite his promises to refrain from criticizing the defense minister, perhaps the following statistics made him change his mind.
A survey headed by Dr. Mina Zemach of the Dahaf Institute revealed that Ayalon has more chances of attaining mandates for the Labor party opposite Livni or Mofaz than Barak.
Thus, he began seriously thinking about his political moves. In the meantime he has refused to commit and is waiting for October.
