Freshman Labor MK Daniel Ben-Simon ended weeks of speculation Sunday night when he appeared at an activists' gathering organized by the “Labor rebels” in Tel Aviv. Party sources had attempted to guess whether Ben-Simon, who recently quit the Labor faction chairmanship, would join the rebels or remain loyal to party head Ehud Barak.
Ben-Simon's support could be critical to the four “rebels” - MKs Yuli Tamir, Eitan Cabel, Ophir Pines-Paz, and Amir Peretz. If the group of four gathers a fifth MK from Labor's ranks, it will be able to form a breakaway party that will be eligible for government funding.
However, despite his presence at the gathering, Ben-Simon made it clear that he is not ready to split the Labor party in two. He told those present that he planned to give Barak “one more chance.”
Barak has two months to take Labor in a new direction, Ben-Simon said.
Ben-Simon criticized the path Labor has taken under Barak's leadership. “Unfortunately, since the elections there has been no debate over the party's path. In recent weeks, our diplomatic and social vision is crumbling before our eyes.”
The four rebel MKs spoke at the gathering as well. Tamir told activists that in the near future, the group of four will present an alternative to Labor's current policies.