Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak's warm-cool relationship with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert turned colder Sunday when he said he probably would leave the government coalition if he is elected chairman of the Labor party.

Barak and Knesset Member Ami Ayalon are the prime contenders seeking to unseat the current chairman, Defense Minister Amir Peretz, who is trailing in the polls. Barak previously has been touted as a replacement for Peretz as Defense Minister, but the Winograd Committee report has changed his position towards Prime Minister Olmert.

The report also criticized the unilateral and rapid withdrawal of the army from Lebanon in 2000, when Barak was Prime Minister.