BICOM

Labour Party leader Amir Peretz met with Blue and White leader, Benny Gantz yesterday as speculation grows of a possible centre-left merger in the 17 September elections.

Following the meeting, Gantz said: “I held a first meeting today with the Labour leader MK Amir Peretz, congratulated Amir on his election, discussed issues on the agenda and agreed to continue to maintain an open channel of dialogue.” Peretz added: “The meeting was held in a spirit of mutual appreciation and respect.”

Ehud Barak, who named his new party the Israel Democratic Party, is due to meet Peretz this week. Both party leaders have spoken about their common goal to merge the parties on the centre-left. However, there is a dispute over which leader would lead the unified party. According to a Labour source: “Ehud Barak is located near the electoral threshold, once above it and once below it; there is no reason to give him the mandate to lead the union.”

If Labour and Barak’s party were to unite, it is understood that Tzipi Livni, who was abandoned by former Labour leader Avi Gabbay in the run-up to April’s election, would also return to politics and join their group.

Former Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked is expected to make a decision soon whether she will team up again with Naftali Bennett as the leader of the New Right party, which is in talks to join up with Moshe Feiglin’s Zehut Party. Another option for Shaked would be to accept the number two spot in the United Right party led by Rabbi Rafi Peretz. This morning Bezalel Smotrich confirmed that he would give up his place for Shaked.

Yesterday Likud MK David Bitan said: “Ayelet Shaked won’t be on the party’s list in the upcoming elections. That’s final.”

The deadline for submitting final party lists is 1 August.