A political drama rattled the Left on Tuesday when Labor leader Avi Gabbay abruptly announced he was ending his partnership with Hatnuah head Tzipi Livni, effectively dissolving the Zionist Union faction.
The two parties partnered ahead of the 2015 elections, winning 24 Knesset seats. Polls conducted since early elections were called for April 9, however, projected an abysmal result for the political alliance giving it, at best, eight mandates – a third of its power.
Gabby announced his decision in a press conference in Tel Aviv shortly before noon. The announcement clearly blindsided Livni, whose stunned expression was captured on camera.
Leaving the room immediately after Gabbay spoke, she said, "I won't comment at this time, I have some decisions to make."
Taking to Twitter, she later wrote, "Thank you to all who showed their support in phone calls and text messages. Now that there are no more doubts, we can go back to focusing on the important national challenge ahead. All those who truly believe in our [the Left's] way – let's win the election."
Hatnuah's chances of passing the 3.25% electoral threshold independently are extremely slim. It is unknown whether Livni – a former Likud minister who split from the party to join the now-defunct Kadima party, then split from the latter to form Hatnuah – plans to partner with another party.
Announcing the split, Gabbay said he "took [former Labor leader Isaac] Herzog's advice and maintained the partnership with Hatnuah within the framework of the Zionist Union. It wasn't easy, but I was committed to winning the elections. I even tried to bring about a full merger [of Hatnuah into Labor] but unfortunately, I wasn't able to make that happen.
"I had hoped this partnership would see us grow and become stronger, but the public is smart and they can see that is not the case," he continued. "I still believe in partnership, in creating a large, united camp that is committed to change. But successful partnerships require friendship, adhering to agreements and loyalty to the shared path. It is not the case in this partnership, so I choose the public again. Tzipi, I wish you the best of luck in the elections, in any party you chose to join."
Labor, he concluded, "remains committed to fighting for the change the Israeli public wants."
Following the press conference, Gabbay filed a motion with the Knesset House Committee asking it to approve the decision to disband Zionist Union.
Earlier Tuesday, Labor insiders blamed Gabbay for Zionist Union's abysmal performance in the polls.
"Labor has never been in such a difficult state in the polls and it has never experienced such helplessness," a senior lawmaker in the party now preparing to hold primaries on Feb. 12., said.
"It's a deadly tsunami," another Labor insider said. "The Zionist Union now has 24 lawmakers, 19 of them are Labor members. We are projected to lose two-thirds of our power. It's a real massacre. There will be a vicious competition on the primaries for the top 10 [positions] in the party."
In announcing the date for the primaries, the party has given the green light for what is often seen as a ruthless internal battle between its members. Given the drastic loss of power projected in the polls, Labor's primaries are expected to be especially acrimonious.
Hatnuah faction chairman MK Yoel Hasson slammed Gabbay over the surprise announcement, saying the move was reckless.
"From day one, Gabbay couldn't accept the principle of partnership – the same partnership that won 24 seats. The current performance in the polls is a direct result of Gabbay's leadership and in his distress, he turned the Zionist Union into a niche party. Running the country is a serious business for real statesmen," Hasson wrote, alluding to Gabbay's short political career.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu commented on the split, tweeting, "I can't interfere in how the Left splits its votes. What's important is that the Right forms the next government and continues leading Israel. This is why you have to vote for Likud."
Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid said the split in the Left "proves Yesh Atid is the only party that can counter Likud. We don't experience such earthquakes. People only seek to join us."
He was referring to the latest boon for the party – Tuesday's decision by Maj. Gen. (ret.) Orna Barbivai, the IDF's first female general, to join Yesh Atid's ranks.
Science and Technology Minister Ofir Akunis (Likud) tweeted, "Every political and opportunistic maneuver is doomed to disappear after one term. All we can do now is wait and see which party Livni will join this time as she sets the record of jumping between five parties in 10 years."
Meretz Chairwoman Tamar Zandberg tweeted, "As it turns out, Livni is too leftist for Gabbay, who again proves he is incapable of leading the [Left] camp. I call on all left-wing voters to join Meretz, who will lead the leftist bloc in the upcoming elections."
