Meir Zarmi resigned today as Secretary General of the Labor Party after accusing party leader Shimon Peres of undermining party leader Shimon Peres of undermining his position. Zarmi’s departure just two weeks before election day, May 17, hit Labor like a bombshell and drew angry charges from many Laborites that Peres had indeed precipitated the resignation.
In his letter to Peres, Zarmi said that he could not continue to function as long as he was excluded from party forums and deliberations and his counsel was unsought or ignored. He said there was no coordination between himself and Peres on party matters. He noted that he was not even invited to a meeting of Labor’s 120 Knesset candidates where Peres delivered a long address.
Zarmi also said he was hurt when he read in a newspaper interview with Peres that the Defense Minister, who assumed the duties of Premier last month, would designate Uzzi Baram the Labor Party’s next Secretary General. Zarmi had been asked to remain in his post until after the Histadrut elections in June. He said he was surprised to read that Peres had selected a successor without consulting him.
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