Labor Party (Israel) leadership election, 2007
Encyclopedia
A leadership election
was held on June 12, 2007 to elect a new leader of the Israeli Labor Party, due to internal dissent within the party regarding the image of their leader, Amir Peretz
Leadership election
Leadership election can refer to any of the contests to take the leadership of a political party, notably:*Canada**Bloc Québécois***Bloc Québécois leadership elections**Parti Québécois***Parti Québécois leadership election, 1985...
was held on June 12, 2007 to elect a new leader of the Israeli Labor Party, due to internal dissent within the party regarding the image of their leader, Amir Peretz
Amir Peretz
Amir Peretz is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Labour Party. He is a former Defense Minister of Israel and former leader of the Labour Party, having left those positions in June 2007....
Candidates
Five candidates ran in the 2007 Israeli Labor Party leadership elections:- Ehud BarakEhud BarakEhud Barak is an Israeli politician who served as Prime Minister from 1999 until 2001. He was leader of the Labor Party until January 2011 and holds the posts of Minister of Defense and Deputy Prime Minister in Binyamin Netanyahu's government....
attempted again to return to politics, this time after the move of Shim'on PeresShimon PeresGCMG is the ninth President of the State of Israel. Peres served twice as the eighth Prime Minister of Israel and once as Interim Prime Minister, and has been a member of 12 cabinets in a political career spanning over 66 years...
to KadimaKadimaKadima is a centrist and liberal political party in Israel. It was established on 24 November 2005 by moderates from Likud largely to support the issue of Ariel Sharon's unilateral disengagement plan, and was soon joined by like-minded Labor politicians...
and with Amir PeretzAmir PeretzAmir Peretz is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Labour Party. He is a former Defense Minister of Israel and former leader of the Labour Party, having left those positions in June 2007....
as the Labor Party leader.
- Amikhai ("Ami") AyalonAmi AyalonAmihai "Ami" Ayalon is an Israeli politician and a former member of the Knesset for the Labor Party. He was previously head of the Shin Bet, Israel's secret service, and commander-in-chief of the Navy...
, who announced that he's going to politics in order to be prime ministerPrime Minister of IsraelThe Prime Minister of Israel is the head of the Israeli government and the most powerful political figure in Israel . The prime minister is the country's chief executive. The official residence of the prime minister, Beit Rosh Hamemshala is in Jerusalem...
, and not just another KnessetKnessetThe Knesset is the unicameral legislature of Israel, located in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.-Role in Israeli Government :The legislative branch of the Israeli government, the Knesset passes all laws, elects the President and Prime Minister , approves the cabinet, and supervises the work of the government...
member, decided that he have "learned" enough the system and that he's ready to lead.
- Amir PeretzAmir PeretzAmir Peretz is an Israeli politician and member of the Knesset for the Labour Party. He is a former Defense Minister of Israel and former leader of the Labour Party, having left those positions in June 2007....
came to these elections as the current party chairman, and with very low chance of winning after his image had been severely damaged during his term of office in the position of the Labor Party leader and his term of holding the position of the Defense Minister of Israel.
- Ofir Pines-PazOphir Pines-PazOphir Pines-Paz is an Israeli former politician who served as Minister of Internal Affairs, Minister of Science, Culture & Sport and as a member of the Knesset for the Labor Party from 1996 until 2010.-Biography:...
ran in these elections with background of years of high-level activity in the party, which include holding the position of the chairman of the coalition and the position of the chairman of the Yisra'el Akhat parliamentary group during the 15th Knesset, holding the position of the party's secretary-general from 2001 until 2003 and winning the first place in the vote that had been held in 2005 in the party's merkaz for determining the identity of the party's ministers in the coalition with the LikudLikudLikud is the major center-right political party in Israel. It was founded in 1973 by Menachem Begin in an alliance with several right-wing and liberal parties. Likud's victory in the 1977 elections was a major turning point in the country's political history, marking the first time the left had...
. In the 2006 Elections for the 17th Knesset he was third in the Labor-Meymad list, after the party leader Amir Perets and Yitskhak Hertsog. He came to these elections after he opposed Amir Perets' decision that the Labor Party will stay in the government and in the coalition after the joining of Yisra'el Beytenu to the coalition and the appointment of Avigdor Liberman to a minister in October 2006. Following the joining of Yisra'el Beytenu to the coalition and the appointment of Avigdor Liberman to a minister Ofir Pines-Paz resigned from the government. He submitted a letter of resignationLetter of resignationA letter of resignation is written to announce the author's intent to leave a position currently held, such as an office, employment or commission....
from the government on October 30, 2006, and his resignation took effect on November 1, 2006.
- Dani YatomDanny YatomDanny Yatom is a former Israeli politician who served as a member of the Knesset for Labour. Before that he was a Director of the Mossad security service.-Background:...
ran in these elections without popularity, without considerable status and without seniority. Some people estimate that Dani Yatom ran in these elections in order to obtain upgrading in his status in the party.