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Barak wants to join Bibi's government
Photo: Dudu Azoulay

Barak: Nation demands unity government

Defense minister slams senior Labor party officials' objection to joining Netanyahu-led coalition; 'Nation demands broad unity government that will look reality in the eye and contend with it,' Barak says

Labor Party voters and the people of Israel demand a "broad unity government," Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Friday in an interview with Channel 2. Barak characterized senior Labor party officials' objection to joining a Likud-led coalition as "holy fury that is inexplicable to me."

 

"The nation demands a broad unity government that will look reality in the eye and contend with it," he said. "We have no spare country, and therefore we need a broad unity government that would address the problems we face."

 

During the interview, Barak explained why he does not reject the prospect of joining the new government.

 

"The State of Israel if acing serious security challenges and a highly complex international reality, as well as a financial crisis that was not seen for many years," he said. "A narrow rightist government is trouble – it's a challenge for Netanyahu, for Livni, to some extent for me too, and possibly also for Lieberman."

 

Barak vows to lead Labor to victory 

Addressing the possibility of joining the government on his own, Barak dismissed it as "irrelevant." The defense minister also vowed to "lead the Labor party until it retakes its place at the country's helm."

 

Immediately following Labor's elections defeat, Barak declared that the party will be heading to the opposition. Yet in the wake of recent meetings with Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu, the defense minister has changed his tone.

 

However, in the interview Barak conditioned Labor's entry into the government on rejecting Avigdor Lieberman's demand to keep Daniel Friedmann in the post of justice minister.

 


פרסום ראשון: 03.06.09, 21:15
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