Knesset Member Orly Levy-Abekasis, number 2 in the Labor-Gesher party, said on Sunday she is against an alliance between her party and Meretz.
Speaking in an interview on Channel 12 News, Levy-Abekasis argued that an alliance with Meretz would "lower the number of seats. It is not wise to go together. Past Labor leaders also did not see fit to connect with Meretz."
"Time and time again, we try to present our work plan and our agendas and they talk to us about uniting with Meretz," she continued. "When you talk about alliances, the discourse is diverted from the main issue which is what we offer the voter and what we propose to change."
Levy-Abekasis pointed out that even in the last election, there were those claiming that if Labor did not unite with Meretz, they would not pass the electoral threshold. "It did not happen - moreover, we brought in votes from new populations and we were the only ones to replace their electorate during the elections."
Among the new votes that came to the party, she argued, "there are voters who are unable to vote for Meretz. If we unite, we could lose a lot of voters who came to the Labor-Gesher alliance."
"Third elections are an opportunity for redress – an alliance between Labor and Meretz will lower the number of seats," MK Levy-Abekasis continued. "When each of the parties runs separately, it has greater electoral power. It's not wise to run together because we will lose moderate voters who think that Meretz is even a psychological boundary that is hard to cross.”
In recent days the pressure has increased on Labor chairman Amir Peretz to unite with Meretz and present a united left-wing bloc. On Saturday, Peretz said he has not yet made a decision on a possible union with Meretz and would make a final decision within 10 days.
On Friday, Kan 11 News reported that the Blue and White party is contemplating suggesting to Levy-Abekasis that she split from the Labor party and join its ranks in exchange for Labor running on a joint ticket with Meretz.
The Blue and White party rejected the report, saying, “This never happened.”