Coalition Chairman David Bitan took a poke at senior members of the Labor Party Tuesday morning in light of the results of the primaries, in which Avi Gabbay won the Labor chairmanship. Interviewed by Israel Defense Forces Radio, the Likud lawmaker said, "Well done to Gabai, he stole the party from them - it's something that could never happen in the Likud."
Gabbay was a founder of Treasurer Moshe Kahlon's Kulanu party. He was not elected to the Knesset but was appointed Minister of Environmental Protection. He quit in May 2015 in protest at the appointment of Avigdor Liberman as Defense Minister and joined Labor in December, announcing his candidacy for the party's top spot in March.