Israel’s two major parties are preparing for the June 23 elections with the incumbent leaders of both under challenge.
In Labor, the contest is pretty much between veteran campaigners Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin, both of whom have served as prime minister. Labor will go the U.S. route and decide by a primary election, scheduled Feb. 19.
One day later, the more than 3,000 members of Likud’s Central Committee will decide who will head its electoral ticket.
A new contender officially entered the race when Foreign Minister David Levy told a jubilant crowd of cheering supporters at a Herzliya hotel Saturday night that he had decided to challenge Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir.
Levy is fresh from a good performance at the multilateral peace conference in Moscow, which followed on the heels of diplomatic successes for Israel with China and India.
“I believe that the time has come to stand up and contest the leadership. I believe that I can cut across party lines and draw the largest number of citizens to the Likud message,” the Moroccan-born foreign minister said.
While Levy may be at the peak of his popularity because of his dedication to the peace process, political pundits have little doubt that Shamir will easily prevail over both Levy and his other challenger, Housing Minister Ariel Sharon.
A first-round victory Feb. 20 will require at least 50 percent of the Central Committee vote.
A good showing by Levy would doubtless strengthen his bid to retain the No. 2 spot on the Likud electoral list and the foreign affairs portfolio — both coveted by Defense Minister Moshe Arens, who held them in the 1980s.
Similarly, an impressive tally by the hawkish Sharon would advance his chances to succeed Shamir when the premier, now 76, steps down.
Labor’s primary election will be nationwide. The party’s 150,000 registered members will be eligible to vote. The winner must top 40 percent of the vote or face the runner-up in a runoff.
A poll of Labor activists, conducted by the Hanoch Smith Research Institute, showed Yitzhak Rabin ahead of incumbent party Chairman Shimon Peres, with Rabin getting 40 percent against Peres’ 30 percent.
Rabin also led in a poll conducted by the Teleseker Institute for the newspaper Ma’ariv.
Other aspirants for the Labor Party leadership, such as Yisrael Kessar, secretary-general of Histadrut, and Knesset member Ora Namir, trail far behind in the polls.
Asked which leader has the best chance of beating the rival party, Rabin was favored 48 to 19 percent over Peres.
The same question posed to Likud members showed 27 percent thought Shamir was the most effective leader.
But Benjamin Netanyahu, the considerably younger deputy minister who was spokesman for the Israeli delegation at the bilateral talks with the Arabs, was on his heels, with 26 percent.
Another rising star in Likud, Ze’ev (Benny) Begin, was third in the poll, but trailed with only 12.6 percent. Levy and Sharon were out of the running with 7 and 5.5 percent respectively.
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