The Israeli Labour Party will hold its leadership primaries on Tuesday. Of the eight candidates, three are virtually unknown, and the vote is expected to be split between the five more prominent contenders.
Current leader Isaac Herzog was seen early on in the race as likely to lose his position, especially after his repeated attempts to join Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. However, new revelations in recent months on Mr Herzog’s involvement in a secret international peace initiative during which he was urged by Arab leaders to join the government, have restored some of his support.
Many Labour observers expect former party leader and ex-defence minister Amir Peretz to do well on Tuesday but he is unlikely to receive the necessary 40 per cent to cross the threshold on the first round. Should none of the candidates pass the threshold, there will be another round of voting between the two front-runners, a week later. In such a case, supporters of the other candidates could coalesce around whoever opposes Mr Peretz who is seen as a divisive figure and too left-wing to appeal to the wider public.
Another prominent candidate is former environment minister Avi Gabbai, who received a boost last Friday when Amiram Levin, a former IDF General and deputy Mossad chief pulled out of the race and announced his support for Gabbai.
