Kadima party MK Shaul Mofaz on Monday 28 Teves announced that following careful deliberation, he has decided not to join “The Zionist Camp”, the Labor/ The Movement ticket in the upcoming elections for 20th Knesset. The 11th slot on the lineup remains vacant, to be selected by Herzog, who is holding it for a “security person”. Mofaz, a former IDF Chief of Staff and Defense Minister is qualified to be that person but he will not be taking the slot.

Mofaz explained during an address Kinneret Institute that regarding peace efforts and an agreement [with the PA (Palestinian Authority)], he is a centrist but a right-winger when it comes to security and defense.

Unless Mofaz fins a party to align with, he will not be in the next Knesset. All polls show that his two person Kadima party will not earn sufficient seats to meet the four seat minimum threshold. Most believe Mofaz will now be looking for an honorable way to announce his retirement from Knesset.

So what really happened after weeks of negotiations with The Zionist Camp?

Yitzchak Herzog commissioned a number of polls and one was to read the popularity of Mofaz, Israel Radio’s Ron Ben-Yishai reports. The former IDF Chief did not fare well among voters. He does not enjoy widespread popularity. It appears that former IDF Chief of Intelligence, who is more suited as far as hashkafa, will fill the 11th seat and become “the security person”.

Tzipi Livni added that she was uninvolved in the decision, which was Herzog’s alone. One should remember however that Amir Peretz, who moved to Labor with Livni, is a former defense minister. Mofaz did not spare the criticism for Peretz’s poor handling of the Second Lebanon War, so this too was working against him from within the party ranks.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)