Battle to Lead Labor Party Begins in Israel
Knesset member Isaac Herzog, running for Labor Party leadership, claims that the public is looking for a new diplomatic alternative.
Barely 24 hours after announcing at an Aug. 26 news conference that he will run for head of the Labor Party, Knesset member Isaac “Buji” Herzog is already deep into campaign frenzy, with a platform of "True, I am no star, but I am experienced and a team player."
On Nov. 21 of this year, only 10 months after the Knesset elections, the Labor Party will hold primaries for party leadership. Another scene in the party’s famous backstabbing pageant will be enacted for posterity.
This is Herzog’s second contest for party leadership, after Labor leader Shelly Yachimovich’s victory last time around when she led the Labor Party to elections. For this round, Herzog brings with him Knesset Members Eitan Cabel and Erel Margalit — a three-pronged alliance fueled by high motivation to oust Yachimovich from her chairwoman’s seat. There is not much love there, only personal animosity and accumulated grudges toward the chairwoman, who faces a fierce battle for her political life.
In an interview with Al-Monitor, Herzog addresses developments in the region and the Syrian threat and declares that an opposition under his leadership will not allow Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to evade diplomatic negotiation with the Palestinians. In short, everything that he feels Yachimovich is incapable of doing.
