RAMALLAH, West Bank, 13 June 2008 — The Israeli defense minister and chairman of Labor Party, Ehud Barak, yesterday announced that he will call for the dissolution of Knesset and preparation for early general elections unless the ruling party Kadima holds primaries and creates a government to his liking.
“We prefer governmental stability, and if we can build a government that appeals to us in this Knesset, we will consider establishing it together,” said Barak at the party meeting. “If not, we will go to elections.”
He said “there is no point in making a formal decision that would obligate us before necessary decisions are made on the other side. As it stands now, we will join and lead the proposal for the preliminary vote on the bill to disperse the Knesset on June 25.”
Shortly after the meeting, the Labor issued a statement reiterating Barak’s comments. It confirmed that the party would support a bill to dissolve the Knesset on June 25 if Kadima did not take “effective steps” toward a primary.
According to the Israeli Basic Law, the Knesset can vote to dissolve itself, should the right circumstances, such as the resignation of the prime minister, present themselves. Should a bill of dissolution pass, the government becomes a transitional one, pending new general elections.
The announcement came just one day after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert agreed to initiate a primary in Kadima.
The calls for a Kadima leadership contest were triggered by an ongoing investigation into claims that the party leader, Olmert, took as much as $150,000 from a Jewish-American businessman over a two-decade period. Police are trying to establish whether the donations constitute criminal activity.
Senior Kadima party sources said one of Olmert’s goals was to try to avert the passage of a bill by Likud party’s Knesset member, Silvan Shalom, scheduled to be brought to the Knesset plenum next week that would dissolve the legislature and set new elections on Nov. 11.
Although Olmert gave a green light for the primaries, he did not set a specific date for the elections.
Sources speculated he is hoping to hold off the process long enough to clear his name following cross-examination of Talansky in the corruption case against him.
At present Shalom has the backing of more than half of the 120 Knesset members, including most of the Labor party, the second largest faction in the coalition, as well as the religious party, Shas, the third largest coalition member.
Both parties have said they will back the measure to dissolve if Olmert does not set a specific date for the Kadima primaries.
