Peace Now chief to run on Labor list

Oppenheimer: I want to influence from within, to bring Labor back to the popular support it once enjoyed.

By RICKY BEN-DAVID
yariv oppenheimer 248 88 (photo credit: Courtesy)
yariv oppenheimer 248 88
(photo credit: Courtesy)
Peace Now Secretary-General Yariv Oppenheimer announced Thursday that he would run for a seat in the Labor faction in the party's upcoming primaries. "I believe that the Labor party must refresh its list and sharpen its image in Israel and its message, or it will lose the support of its voters. There are so many people in Israeli politics who have no real stance, no opinions, who move from one party to the next and who only look after themselves. I want clarity, I want to offer a clear and concise message. I have faith in the Labor party and I aim to bring it back to popular support and to emphasize its efforts for peace with the Palestinians," said Oppenheimer in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. "I will be on leave from Peace Now for three weeks to run in the primaries. I want to influence from within, to be able to make decisions. Peace Now is an NGO but it is also political. As an NGO, we influence public opinion. As a political NGO, we influence public agenda. Others have done it and succeeded, Yuli Tamir [one of the founders of Peace Now, who is now the education minister], Labor MK Ophir Paz-Pines [who worked at the Jewish Agency and is now chairman of the Knesset Internal Affairs and Environment Committee]. I will also succeed," he went on. After the Winograd Report was released, Oppenheimer was one of the few who called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to remain in the government, even as Labor secretary-general Eitan Cabel was calling for the party's withdrawal. Oppenheimer's opposition to Labor's resignation from the coalition came from fears that such a move would bring peace efforts to a halt. Labor's decision was "the right thing to do", said Oppenheimer. Labor is due to discuss seats on its list on Thursday. On Wednesday, Barak announced that he would push for Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer to run as number six on the list, for the number 12 spot go to the moshavim representative, and number 13 to the Kibbutzim representative. He added that he would be urging four out of the 20 spots to go to female candidates. Jpost.com Staff contributed to this report.