Peretz, Gabbay vow to mend rifts in Labor as they resume primary campaign
Former Labor leader and current hopeful Amir Peretz, who led in early Labor primary, vows to promote increasing minimum wage, better pensions and shutting down manpower companies; Gabbay, who came in second, wants to make campaign about the issues and 'creating hope.'
The two contenders for the Labor Party chairmanship, MK Amir Peretz and Avi Gabbay, resumed their campaigns on Wednesday after neither one of them was able to muster at least 40 percent of the vote needed to win the primary, with both of them vowing to mend the rifts plaguing the party.
"We're looking to create common ground," Peretz said in a press conference conference after winning almost 33 percent of the vote in a divisive race that saw seven candidates vying for the leadership role.
He asserted that he could defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the general elections, saying "The smell of Bibi's sweat reached from Jerusalem all the way to Sderot (where Peretz resides). It's a potent smell."
"I've clocked many Bibi hours," added Peretz. "My running bothers him. His people are worried for good reason, because I beat him in 2006."
Looking to the future, Peretz promised that "As prime minister, I'll push for three things: raising the minimum wage, caring for senior citizens and dealing with the erosion of pensions... and third, one of the laws I will pass is a law to close down job placement agencies in Israel and outlawing them."
Peretz listed his credentials and accomplishments, including the Iron Dome missile defense system and fighting for the rights of senior citizens.
"I come with a great deal of action, as well as experience and seniority, but with energy that young people need to buy at the store, as they find themselves riding with me at a speed they're not used to. I've got the experience of someone who has made decisions on sensitive matters, but with the long-term commitment needed to wake up at 5 in the morning and still feel I haven't done enough for the public," he added.
Peretz received 10,141 votes, which amounted to 32.7 percent of the votes; Gabbay got 8,395 votes, which amounted to 27 percent; incumbent chairman MK Isaac Herzog received 5,204 votes, or 16.1 percent; MK Erel Margalit got 4,697 votes, which translate to 16.1 percent; and MK Omer Bar-Lev got 2,147 votes, or 6.9 percent. The other remaining candidates, Avner Ben Zaken and Hod Krovi, each got less than one percent. The only female candidate, Dina Dayan, dropped out a day before the primary and threw her support behind Herzog.
Speaking to Ynet, Gabbay denied that a deal is forming between himself and former Labor leader Shelly Yachimovich. "There are no deals. We don't make deals. We're busy trying to convince, creating hope, so people believe that the Labor party can return to a place from which it can win the elections. That's what we're busy with," he insisted.
"The fact I managed to reach 27 percent of registered voters, and that I managed to add 4,000 new members (to the party), shows one thing—people eventually want you to speak about what really bothers them, about positive matters, about your plans, and not to constantly talk against other candidates. My campaign was a positive campaign. I spoke about myself, about plans, about hope. And that's what people want," he added.
