MK Cabel: Barak has brought Labor to its worst defeat ever

Labor secretary-general Eitan Cabel on Thursday accused Ehud Barak of bringing his party to its worst defeat ever, as a bitter row between the erstwhile allies intensified.

"Barak led the Labor party the greatest and most severe failure in its history and is trying to shunt aside whoever is trying to fight this," Cabel told Israel Radio.

Cabel's attack came a day after Barak, who is also Defense Minister, told the senior party official he would begin proceedings to dismiss him.

In the Israel Radio interview, Cabel added: "Ehud Barak lied to the People of Israel all the way: He promised to quite the government after the publication of the Winograd committee's report [into the Second Lebanon War], after the election he announced that Labor would go to the opposition and that he wasn't negotiating with anyone."

According to a statement from Barak's office, the decision to fire Cabel came in the wake of the secretary-general's refusal to accept and abide by the decisions of Labor's committee.

Cabel was one of the leading Labor MKs to oppose the party's entry into the coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

The secretary-general responded on Wednesday by saying the Labor committee must vote on his dismissal from the post.

Barak thanked Cabel for his contribution to the party, according to the statement from his office, which also said Barak believes Labor can return to its natural place as the nation's leading party.

A substitute for Cabel will be appointed in order to take care of the party's daily management.

Later on Thursday Labor Party treasurer Moshe Amit resigned from his post, saying that he cannot serve in the post considering the current state the Labor party is in.