Labor Chairman Barak
Photo: Reuters
Labor moving closer to split
Party insiders say division seems inevitable as faction members unable to work together. 'My obligation is to our voters, not to party rebels,' says Minister Ben-Eliezer
The internal strife enveloping the Labor Party may soon reach boiling point, with senior party members admitting Monday that a split among Labor ranks may be inevitable.
The party cannot function under the current circumstances, a Labor source told Ynet, adding that while no concrete motion which may result in Knesset members splintering away from core Labor has been brought before the party, "everyone knows we can't go on like this.
Analysis
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"We have senior party members openly talking about the fact that splitting up is the only way we can hope to function," one party member said.
By law, a third of the faction members – in this case at least five – would have to vote in favor of a split for it to materialize. Labor sources told Ynet that it is the apparent objection of MK Shelly Yacimovich that is keeping the move from happening.
Nevertheless, the party seems more divided then ever: "I care about this party, but if they (the MKs dubbed "Labor rebels") will not adhere to party institutions maybe it's time they left us," said Industry, Trade and Labor Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.
"I want to see the faction rally to my side in the fight against unemployment… but if the situation continues and we (Labor ministers) keep being defendants before a party tribunal, I will not attend faction meetings. My obligation is to our voters, not to the party rebels."
Meanwhile, former Education Minister Yuli Tamir expressed a similar sentiment, telling Ynet that Monday's decision to have Labor represented in one of the Knesset's committees by Habayit Hayehudi MK Zevulun Orlev has "shuttered whatever trust was left between faction members."
"It's no wonder that the focus of the faction's agenda today was a motion to call off faction meetings," she added. "There is a deep sense of frustration. No one will say it openly but the faction is struggling to find a way for us to work together. The disagreements run deep."
