Gad Ya’acobi, the minister of communications in Israel’s last national unity government and a past minister of economic planning, announced Monday that he is a candidate for leadership of the Labor Party.
The announcement puts him in the ring with the two veteran Labor leaders, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, who have been the sole contenders for chairmanship of the Labor Party since the late 1970s.
Ya’acobi, speaking at a news conference in Tel Aviv, vowed Monday to break the pattern and rid Labor of its “bureaucratic image.” He said it is time the leadership was contested by more than just the two rivals.
In fact, that is already starting to happen. Knesset member Ora Namir has also declared her candidacy, and others are expected to follow suit.
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