In what is perceived as an indirect endorsement of Shaul Mofaz for the top Kadima spot is also being interpreted as a swipe at the leader in the Kadima race, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.

Defense Minister (Labor) Ehud Barak on Monday stated, “Who do you want responding to the red phone?”

Barak has recently released statements of concern regarding the nation’s future, adding that his years of experience as prime minister, defense minister and IDF chief of staff make him the most suitable candidate for prime minister. The defense minister stated that Kadima needs a candidate with experience, a statement which members of the Livni camp view as Barak’s direct interference in internal Kadima issues.

“At 4:00am, who should respond to the hot line? One has 90 seconds to make a decision. We cannot afford having a leader who lacks experience, especially after the Second Lebanon War” stated the Labor premiership hopeful.

Livni rejected Barak’s remarks, calling them “unsuited and out of place”, instructing him to refrain from interfering in internal party issues that are not of his concern.

Barak officials explain the former prime minister was speaking based on his experience as the nation’s leader, nothing more, and he was not in any way launching a personal attack against one candidate or another.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)