Last update - 00:00 22/03/2007
Barak says won't necessarily join Olmert's government if elected
By Mazal Mualem, Haaretz Correspondent
Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has said in closed talks that even if he were chosen to lead the Labor Party, he would not necessarily join Ehud Olmert's government on every condition. Barak, who has announced plans to contend for the position of Defense Minister, said he would make his decision in accordance with the stance of the coalition following the Labor primaries in May.
This decision represents a change in strategy for Barak, whose plan had been to join Olmert's government as a minister and contend for the position of prime minister in the next election.
Barak told his associates in closed talks that over the last week that the political circumstances had changed, in no small part due to the conclusions reached by the Winograd Commission investigating the war in Lebanon.
The former prime minister claims that it is the responsibility of the Labor Party to present an alternative to the current government, and said the party could not stay in the coalition at every cost.
According to Barak, the appropriate action for Labor would be to reexamine the stance of Olmert's government after the party primaries and then make a decision on the matter.
According to Labor sources, the significance of Barak's new strategic line is that it could lead the party into leaving the coalition - a process which would hasten elections.
Although Barak is not a member of Knesset, he counts support from within the ranks of the Labor Party, including Ministers Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, Shalom Simhon, Isaac Herzog and Eitan Cabel. Due to this support, if Barak were elected to head Labor, it is likely he would be able to sway the party into the process of leaving the government.
More on the race for Labor Party leadership