Yachimovich. Calls off meeting
Photo: Yaron Brener
Peretz. 'Say no to Netanyahu'
Photo: Benny Deutch
Labor Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich began meeting with members of the party's newly elected Knesset list on Sunday, but her associates say she will not meet with the third place on the list, her political rival Amir Peretz.
Related stories:
- Lapid: Labor concealing its leftist ideology
- Herzog wins Labor primaries; Merav Michaeli 5th on party list
- Yachimovich: It's still me or Bibi
On Friday, several minutes after the Labor roster was presented, Knesset Member Peretz demanded a public commitment from Yachimovich that she would not sit in the same government with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman.
Yachimovich refused to issue such an unequivocal statement, and Peretz responded by saying that joining such a government would be red line as far as he was concerned.
Peretz, a former defense minister, further criticized Yachimovich for wooing rightist votes and avoiding defining Labor as a leftist party. He said that the party's ideological line and the fact that Labor was the leader of the peace camp had to be stressed.
MK Isaac Herzog, No. 2 on the Labor list, rushed to defend Yachimovich, saying that Peretz's stand did not represent the faction's stand.
Over the weekend, Peretz announced that he planned to meet with Yachimovich and present his demands, but following his criticism Yachimovich decided to postpone the meeting.
Moran Azulay is a Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth correspondent
- Follow Ynetnews on Facebook and Twitter
- Receive Ynetnews updates
directly to your desktop