Ehud Barak plans to bring his former rival for the Labor Party leadership into the Israeli government.
Barak, Israel’s defense minister, and Ami Ayalon, the runner-up in Labor’s recent leadership race, have been in talks on arranging a Cabinet post for the latter, political sources said Monday.
As the biggest partner in Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s coalition government, Labor can demand a slew of Cabinet seats, though the number of portfolios is limited.
Political sources said Ayalon would likely be named minister-without-portfolio but put in charge of specific tasks such as preparing Israel’s home front for future wars. A decision is expected in the coming days.
