Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna declared his candidacy for the Labor Party leadership at a press conference this morning. Recent polls show that Mitzna will pose a serious challenge in the primaries to current Labor Party head and Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer. Yesterday, Ben-Eliezer met with MK Chaim Ramon, who is also running for the party’s top job, and tried to persuade him to join forces against Mitzna. Ramon rejected the Defense Minister’s offer and said that would continue his own campaign, despite the fact that he is trailing in the polls.



Yesterday, Knesset Committee Chairman MK Yossi Katz joined the growing list of elected officials coming out in support of Mitzna’s bid for the Labor Party leadership.

Analysts expect that Be'er Sheva Mayor Yaakov Turner will also come out in support of Mitzna in the near future.