Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced this week that he was forming a new political party to run in the September 17th election. These elections come after Netanyahu failed to form a governing coalition, and the Likud-drafted bill to dissolve the Knesset was passed 75-45.
Barak announced in his launch that “the Netanyahu regime must be toppled”.
Prime Minister Netanyahu, who has held office since 2009, was the first candidate for Prime Minister in Israel’s history to fail to form a coalition after begin given the mandate from President Reuven Rivlin.
Mr Barak has recently challenged Mr. Netanyahu’s suitability to continue in office, criticising his policies and the investigation for alleged corruption. Speaking on Wednesday at a press conference in Tel Aviv, Mr Barak called for an end to “Netanyahu’s rule with the radicals, racists and corrupt, with the Messianists and his corrupt leadership”.
Beating Netanyahu in 1999 as the leader of a centre-left, Labor Party-led alliance and then later making a comeback when re-elected as leader of the Labor Party in 2007, Ehud Barak has been around for much of Netanyahu’s political career. Before his retirement, Barak even served as Defense Minister in Netanyahu’s government between 2009 and 2013.
Reports have suggested that Barak is looking to work with former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan to form this new party and help run in the upcoming ballot. He is also considering to recruit previous Knesset members to their list, with former Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni at the top of the list.
Looking to unite the centre-left, this has also led to cause for concern within the centrist Blue and White party, as political analysts opine that Barak could push Gantz out.
He has yet to announce the name of the party.
