Israeli Labour leader Avi Gabbay faces call to resign

A Labour-Meretz merger is among the options being mulled over after last week produced the worst-ever result for the parties representing the ideological movement that founded Israel.

After Labour won only six seats and Meretz took four, there is talk of uniting in a parliamentary bloc and perhaps even as a new left-wing party for the next election.

Meretz leader Tamar Zandberg told Haaretz this week: “I intend to work to make it happen. We need to begin doing it now.” Former Labour leader Shelly Yachimovich also said it was “something we have to consider as part of our political soul-searching.”

But the Labour leadership might prove an obstacle.

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