Although Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin has yet to declare his candidacy in the 1996 elections, he was swung into campaign mode by appointment a campaign manager.
Rabin has tapped Shimon Sheves will be replaced in June by Zvi Alderoti, a longtime Rabin ally.
In a weekend interview with Israel Radio, Rabin would not say outright whether he would seek another term as prime minister.
“I have eight months to decide,” he said.
The appointment has once again raised speculation about whether Foreign Minister Shimon Peres will decide to throw his hat into the ring.
Peres told Israel Radio this week that he had not made any decision, which he said would “depend on what kind of progress is made in the peace process.”
Sources close to Peres in the Labor Party told the Israeli daily Ma’ariv that Peres would not rule out running against Rabin, unless he received clear promises regarding the role he and his supporters would play in the next government.
Peres supporters still recall how Rabin never followed through on a promise to promote Deputy Foreign Minister Yossi Beilin to the Cabinet.
Meanwhile, political observers said the appointment of Sheves could be read either as a reflection of Rabin’s faith in him, or as a polite boot out of the Prime Minister’s Office, where some say Sheves has been less than successful in fulfilling his duties.
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