Former Labor party leader Amir Peretz intends on joining the centrist Kadima party, according to reports. The left-wing Labor party, currently headed by embattled Defense Minsiter Ehud Barak, has been rife with internal strife and could continue crumbling unless the party finds its voice and reclaims grassroots support, especially as the politics of the Israeli population rapidly shift to the right.
Peretz, a former union leader who climbed to the position of Defense Minister when he led the Labor party, was regarded by many as a one of the worst defense chiefs in Israeli history, especially after his oversight of the 2006 Lebanon War that resulted in the deaths of far too many Israeli soldiers due to military mismanagement. Peretz, who has no significant military background, negotiated to become the Defense Minister by agreeing to join the Kadima-led coalition. Peretz’s lack of military acumen was clear, and he dropped on the Labor Knesset roster when Barak replaced him.
Kadima, which could soon represent the only remaining center-left challenge to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, must entice the most popular and effective politicians to join its ranks in order to compete in any upcoming elections. Failure to list the most capable politicians to reinvigorate popular support will result in even stronger Likud governance and even bolster the prospects of right-wing and radical-right-wing parties, like Yisrael Beitenu.
Peretz being on Kadima’s Knesset list provides them with an accomplished politician who could rally the few remaining left wing Israelis onto that parties rolls. More likely, Peretz’s placement on the party list will oust effective leaders and up-and-coming political stars in exchange for a former defense chief with little army background who led the military into a highly controversial war that many consider to have been mismanaged.
The fact that a former union chief is also fleeing the Labor (read “worker’s) party should also remove any doubt that the Israeli left wing is in serious trouble.
But the opportunity cost of Kadima losing talent on its roster in exchange for Peretz, a highly criticized past minister, might very well hurt the party’s chances to retake the Prime Minister’s Office, with the 2006 Lebanon War defense chief potentially taking on the role of a liability and not an asset.
Photo from Wikicommons. These were Peretz’s Labor campaign placards that read “Fighting Terror. Winning in Education” on the left and “Truth” next to Peretz’s head shot.
