Nachman Shai endorses Amir Peretz

Praising Shai for his role calming the population during the Gulf War, Peretz said Israeli needs voices of credibility and trust like his.

By GIL HOFFMAN
Updated: MAY 21, 2017 03:31
Amir Peretz (photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Amir Peretz
(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)
Labor leadership candidate Amir Peretz received an endorsement from MK Nachman Shai on Saturday night, bringing his stable of supporters in the Zionist Union faction up to five, which is the most among the nine candidates.
“Out of the candidates, he is the most fit and the best able to tackle the issues I believe in,” Shai told The Jerusalem Post on Saturday night.
“He can connect us to more sectors that we have forgotten and have forgotten us.”
Asked if Peretz is worldly enough to meet with foreign leaders as opposition leader, Shai said: “I don’t know if he has an international profile, but what matters now is socioeconomic gaps and other internal issues. We’re not yet picking a leader who we can send to the White House.”
Praising Shai for his role calming the population during the First Gulf War, Peretz said Israel needs voices of credibility and trust like his.
Peretz is backed by MKs Itzik Shmuly, Hilik Bar, Revital Swid and Eitan Broshi.
Incumbent Isaac Herzog is supported by MKs Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin and Manuel Trajtenberg. MK Miki Rosenthal endorsed MK Omer Bar Lev, and MK Michael Biran gave her support to former environmental protection minister Avi Gabbay.
The MKs who remain on the fence include Merav Michaeli, Stav Shaffir, Eitan Cabel, Shelly Yacimovich, Yossi Yona and Zouheir Bahloul.
The Likud central committee will meet on Sunday at Ramat Gan’s Kfar Maccabiah Hotel to decide on dates for internal races for party institutions.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided to delay appointing a communications minister until next week. He was supposed to appoint one on Sunday after interim minister Tzachi Hanegbi’s three-month term ended. Netanyahu received special permission from Attorney-General Avichai Mandelblit to wait a week, due to the visit of US President Donald Trump.