MK Itzik Shmuli, who is running for the leadership of the Labor Party, said on Saturday that if he is elected party leader, he will work to create an alliance with the new party of former prime minister Ehud Barak.
"The danger to the Labor Party is clear. It is liable to perish, it is on the verge of the electoral threshold in the polls. The question is who will be able to pull it out of the rubble," said Shmuli, speaking in Petah Tikva.
“We need to bring back a lot of people we lost along the way and I believe I'm the man who is the most fit to do that. We currently have two challenges: the first is to rebuild the Labor Party. And the second is to increase the chances of the bloc replacing the government,” he continued.
About the possibility of forming an alliance with Barak, Shmuli said, "The only way to put the Labor Party back on its feet and increase the chances of the bloc winning is through alliances. Barak and I have the same goal, which is to replace the government. I'm meeting Barak and with others to achieve those alliances.”
Shmuli also did not rule out another alliance between the Labor Party and Tzipi Livni, saying, "I will work toward an alliance with both Barak and Livni." On Amir Peretz's statement that he would not be Barak's No. 2, Shmuli said, "This is a statement that impedes connections. We have to make connections by putting aside the ego."
On the possibility of entering a government led by Binyamin Netanyahu after the elections, he declared, "This is not on the agenda, because indictments will be filed against Netanyahu after the elections. The Labor Party must not provide Netanyahu with a defensive wall against the indictments."