Fistfights broke out at the Central Committee parley last night after former Labor Knesset Member Adiso Masala called former Prime Minister Ehud Barak "the king of fakes," prompting Barak supporters to physically attack Masala. Barak's bodyguards prevented Masala from assaulting him. Communications Minister Dalia Itzik suffered a leg injury during the fracas, and guards evicted Masala and chairmanship candidate Amir Peretz from the hall.
Labor Secretary-General Eitan Cabel announced repeatedly, "This cannot go on," and ordered an immediate vote. He asked the various candidates to calm tempers within their camps to prevent the party from falling apart.
Masala is supporting Peretz, the Histadrut Labor Union Chief, in his bid to lead the party, which is beleaguered by in-fighting and revelations of fraud in the recent membership campaign. The other candidates are current party leader and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Barak, and Ministers Matan Vilnai and Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer.
The vote for a party leader was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but the vote fraud scandal forced a delay. Peres had been campaigning for a vote as quickly as possible, while Barak, trailing in the polls, had been pushing for a delay. Sixty percent of the Central Committee voted for Cabel's proposal to hold a leadership vote after all the registration forms are thoroughly checked for irregularities, a process that could take several weeks or even months. Peretez' proposal to hold the vote in two weeks was supported by 40 percent of the committee.
Barak later asserted that the fracas revealed "the real face" of Peretz and that party members "finally understand with whom they are dealing." Both Barak and Peretz are reviled by their opponents for their alleged high-handed style of leadership.
Before the debate ended, Peres said, "Our party is clean and pure. We will not be like the Likud."
Labor Secretary-General Eitan Cabel announced repeatedly, "This cannot go on," and ordered an immediate vote. He asked the various candidates to calm tempers within their camps to prevent the party from falling apart.
Masala is supporting Peretz, the Histadrut Labor Union Chief, in his bid to lead the party, which is beleaguered by in-fighting and revelations of fraud in the recent membership campaign. The other candidates are current party leader and former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, Barak, and Ministers Matan Vilnai and Binyamin (Fuad) Ben-Eliezer.
The vote for a party leader was originally scheduled for Tuesday, but the vote fraud scandal forced a delay. Peres had been campaigning for a vote as quickly as possible, while Barak, trailing in the polls, had been pushing for a delay. Sixty percent of the Central Committee voted for Cabel's proposal to hold a leadership vote after all the registration forms are thoroughly checked for irregularities, a process that could take several weeks or even months. Peretez' proposal to hold the vote in two weeks was supported by 40 percent of the committee.
Barak later asserted that the fracas revealed "the real face" of Peretz and that party members "finally understand with whom they are dealing." Both Barak and Peretz are reviled by their opponents for their alleged high-handed style of leadership.
Before the debate ended, Peres said, "Our party is clean and pure. We will not be like the Likud."