Yitzhak Herzog, Tzipi Livni
Yitzhak Herzog, Tzipi LivniFlash 90

After merging their parties on Wednesday, Labor head Yitzhak Herzog and Hatnua chairperson Tzipi Livni on Thursday launched their election campaign ahead of the March 17 vote in the Gaza Belt region that was hard-hit by Hamas rockets over the summer.

The two sharply criticized Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu for his management of Operation Protective Edge, a sentiment many in the public share given that Hamas came out of it - the third-such campaign - still intact and rebuilding its terror tunnels.

"Operation Protective Edge achieved deterrence and security, but the test will be over the long-run," said Livni. "The prime minister wrote wonderful books about how to fight terror, but he is the one who in the end spoke with them and held negotiations," noting on the Cairo talks that led to numerous ceasefires before a final truce.

"Unfortunately Netanyahu doesn't distinguish between the military front and the political struggle and he is weak against terror," charged Livni, trying to blur the connection between "peace talks" and the terrorist organizations behind them like Fatah, which had it's US-recognized terrorist status removed in the Oslo Accords.

Livni recognized however that there will be no "peace" with Hamas, saying "we need to act with military force against terror and act with political strength and wisdom against acts and political attacks that can be expected against Israel. Netanyahu is trying to act strongly politically, but someone who doesn't know how to recruit the world can't do that."

Ironically Livni herself is under the threat of British arrest warrants for "war crimes" alleged over her role as Foreign Minister during the counter-terror Operation Cast Lead in late 2008 and early 2009.

Herzog also spoke, saying "security can be achieved with, in addition to military force, supervised, responsible and completing processes. There is no compromise with terror, but there is a unique political initiative. We are starting our elections journey in a place that absorbed rockets, tunnels and lots of pain, and stood heroically through dozens of years and certainly the last summer."

Likud MK Gila Gamliel struck back at the comments of the two, saying "the duo of Tzipi and Buji (Herzog) forgot that a few months again they backed the same Netanyahu in his struggle against terror. As all of the people of Israel saw yesterday, the hypocrisy and cynicism of the new duo continues to increase."

"History doesn't lie - only a large and strong national camp will stand as a wall against all the security threats standing against the state of Israel," added Gamliel.

Earlier on Thursday Netanyahu spoke to Likud activists in Tel Aviv, saying "who will lead the country? The leftist leaders, who are multiplying, or a leadership under me? We know the answer. The left has united us. Likud members have understood what the citizens have been seeing in the last few days – a huge and almost unprecedented public campaign is being waged against me, which supports and advances any politician in any party who opposes a Likud government under me."

Livni shot back a response to the comments on Twitter, writing that Netanyahu "is a-f-r-a-i-d."