MK Amir Peretz has once again been elected to head the Labor party, replacing Avi Gabbai. Peretz, a former Sderot Mayor and former head of the Histadrut National Labor Federation, headed the party from 2005-2007. He received 47% of the vote in the race against Stav Shafir and Itzik Shmuli, who received 27% and 26% of the vote respectfully.

Succeeding in receiving over 40% of the vote in the party primaries led to his success in round one of voting.

While the Labor party has been a leader in Israel for years, recent polls paint a bleak picture, one that does not reach double digits. In the last election, Labor received six seats.

Peretz expresses optimism, calling for unity in the camp, confident that if the left-wing centrist parties unite, they can oust Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. He feels Labor can realistically receive 15 seats in the election, hoping to grab seats from the Blue and White and Kulanu parties as well as receiving additional support from the Israeli Arab and Druse communities.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)