According to the final count, Israel's Labor Party managed to garner only six Knesset seats in the April 9 elections, the worst result ever for the party.

At first it was generally assumed that Avi Gabbay would resign as chairman as early as election night once the extent of the damage became clear. But this wishful thinking didn’t last long. As he stood before the cameras while exit polls gave Labor just six to eight seats, for a moment Gabbay looked like he was about to deliver a concession speech, assume responsibility for the party’s failure and step down. He did speak about the electoral blow and a very difficult night, but then surprised everyone by failing to take any responsibility for the shocking outcome.

Two days later, the party’s secretary general Eran Hermoni told him that the right thing to do was to step down immediately. In a private meeting between the two, Hermoni had some harsh words for Gabbay. He did not get in return any indication of Gabbay’s plans. Only later did Gabbay say that he has no intention of resigning, stating that he plans to keep working on behalf of Labor and will be serving the public from the opposition benches. Then he added that he plans to hold consultations in the coming days about advancing the primaries and other options.

The days passed and the final results left the Labor Party with just six seats, but Gabbay continued to cling to his own seat. At a meeting of the party’s leadership on April 17, Gabbay diverted the discussion toward primaries, announcing that they will be held earlier than expected. (Labor's charter indicates that if the party loses the elections, primaries should be held within 14 months. Until the primaries, he will apparently continue to serve as chair. According to some critics, Gabbay is simply stalling to avoid the real issue: his responsibility for the failure.