Mofaz threatens to split Kadima
Opposition Chairwoman Livni faces clear deadline from her party's No. 2. 'The only way for me to stay in Kadima is with an unequivocal decision on primary elections by the end of this month,' Mofaz clarifies in closed forums
According to Mofaz, "If (Opposition Chairwoman) Tzipi Livni and her people try to delay this decision, and the institutions fail to make a decision on primaries, I will work to implement the option of setting up a separate faction."
Following the threat, Kadima faction chairwoman Dalia Itzik began working to bring about a reconciliation between the Mofaz and Livni camps in order to prevent a split.
Ynet reported Wednesday evening that Mofaz had decided to wait for a decision until the end of the month. However, the MK estimated in conversations with his associates that the Kadima chairwoman would try to avoid making a decision and play for time.
In the past few weeks, Mofaz has been holding many meetings with Kadima lawmakers in a bid to form a large enough group of MKs to join him when he leaves the party.
In spite of Mofaz's efforts, some of the MKs mentioned as possible Kadima deserters as part of talks with the Likud party have said in recent days that they have made a decision not to split the party for now. Other Kadima members are waiting for developments.
Therefore, in case Mofaz makes a dramatic and official decision to split the party and form a new faction, he will likely be able to recruit a sufficient number of MKs to join him.
Livni and her people have made it clear recently that they reject Mofaz's demands to move up the primaries in a move defined as the latter as "a democratization of the party". However, the Kadima chairwoman has to hold a face-to-face meeting with her No. 2 on the matter and has yet to convey her stand and her refusal to accept his demand.
Livni said recently that if Mofaz was unwilling to accept her leadership, he was welcome to leave Kadima.
Mofaz says not retiring from politics
Sources close to Livni told Ynet on Thursday afternoon that it has been clear for a long time that Mofaz would like to leave the party and was only looking for excuses to do so.
"What reason is there to hold primaries a year after the general elections?" one of them wondered. "If this is the conduct of a former IDF chief of staff, there isn't much to add."
Mofaz himself has clarified that he has no plan to retire from politics and that he has yet to make a final decision about his future, but his decision as to the response he expects to get from Livni in regards to the primaries still stands.
The Kadima Council is scheduled to convene at the end of the month, and Mofaz expects the primaries matter to be decided on. His associates say he has not talked to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu about joining the government.
"Messages have been conveyed by all kinds of people, but there has been nothing official," said one of the aides.
The tension between Mofaz and Livni increased at the end of December, on the backdrop of Netanyahu's attempts to divide Kadima, after Livni strongly objected to Mofaz's demand to move up the primaries.
Mofaz joined Kadima at the end of 2005, after quitting the race for the Likud's chairmanship. In May 2006, he was appointed transportation minister and deputy prime minister in Ehud Olmert's government. In September 2008, after losing to Livni in the Kadima primaries, he announced that he would take a break from politics, but changed his mind shortly afterwards.
