Labor Member of Knesset Daniel Ben-Simon, who recently announced his resignation as chairman of the party's Knesset faction, said Sunday night that his attendance at a recent meeting by Knesset members who have been dubbed rebels did not have any political significance. Ben-Simon said at the party's politburo meeting, "I didn't leave and I didn't stay. All I did was visit friends. They're still family in my eyes."
If Ben-Simon had joined MK's Eitan Cabel, Amir Peretz, Ofir Pines-Paz and Yuli Tamir, they could have broken away from Labor and formed their own party. The four rebels have stated their opposition to Labor being part of the coalition, among other differences from Party Chairman Ehud Barak.