Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his staff could be behind a campaign that urged the center-left parties to unite and run on a joint ticket in the April 9 election, according to a document revealed by Channel 13 on Saturday evening.
The campaign slogan was "Bli ichud, hakol avud," a play on words that can mean either "Without unity, all is lost" or "Without unity, the vote is lost."
The document, which was signed by Barak confidant attorney Oshi Elmaliach – who also oversaw the nonprofit group National Responsibility, which was behind the campaign – states that "With the announcement by Benny Gantz, Yair Lapid, Bogi [Moshe] Ya'alon, Gabi Ashkenazi, and others that they will be running on a single list, we hereby inform you that a very successful campaign has come to an end and [that] we are ceasing all activity.
"Generally speaking and as required by laws on party funding … continued activity following the announcement by most actors that they are running together could lead to needless restrictions on party funding. Our mission is complete and ended the moment a major merger was created on the Center-Left," the document states.
Barak's staff issued a response to the Channel 13 report: "In the past two and a half years, Barak has worked extensively, sometimes alone, to bring together a fighting opposition. In recent months, Barak has done a lot of work to achieve mergers on the Center-Left.
"Although Barak has for years been friends with Elmaliach, who serves as head of National Responsibility, it is a sovereign entity that operates under his [Elmaliach's] sole judgment," Barak's staff said.
The Likud party said in response to the report that "Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid will establish a left-wing government with the support of a bloc that includes the Arab parties."
