Peretz vows to head to court to stop Gabbay

Labor leader says rival should ‘find another party’

Labor leader Avi Gabbay will face a rebellion by a powerful opposition – former Labor leaders Amir Peretz and Isaac Herzog, and Histadrut Labor Federation chief Avi Nissenkorn – if he tries to cancel the June 26 election to the party’s central committee, Peretz vowed on Wednesday.

Gabbay and his political ally, former Labor chairwoman Shelly Yacimovich, want to keep as is the current committee, which includes people they brought on to the committee. But Peretz, Herzog, and Nissenkorn said a company was already hired to run the election, and it cannot be canceled.

Labor’s law committee, headed by former justice minister David Libai, will rule on the matter Thursday. Peretz promised to take the matter to internal Labor Party court and Tel Aviv District Court until the election is saved. At a meeting of Labor’s executive committee on Tuesday night, Gabbay and Peretz exchanged barbs on the issue. Peretz accused Gabbay of harming democracy, and Gabbay accused Peretz of not accepting that he lost the July 4, 2017, election for Labor leader.

Gabbay suggested that Peretz, who has left Labor twice, “find another party.”

Peretz said Gabbay has led Labor to a new low, and “should devote his efforts to returning the massive amount of people who have run away from the party this year” and not on mudslinging.