MK Ami Ayalon: The party must not elect "hollow leadership."
By JPOST.COM STAFFpaz pines 298 aj(photo credit: Ariel Jerozolimski)
Former prime minister Ehud Barak, who is currently seeking to regain the Labor chairmanship, came under a flurry of criticism from within his own party on Friday after calling the Second Lebanon War a failure and saying the country was in need of more experienced leadership.
MK Danny Yatom said, "It would be a mistake to vote for someone who avoids taking a stance regarding national issues."
On Thursday, Barak told a gathering of pre-army recruits, "When the dust clouds settle after the Winograd Committee's conclusions... one lesson will be learned: In the state of Israel, there is no substitute for experience."
The former prime minister went on to say that there was no doubt that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Defense Minister Amir Peretz and former chief of staff Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz were talented individuals with good intentions but "what happened during the war proves that more experience is needed."
Another candidate to head Labor, MK Ophir Paz-Pines also attacked Barak, saying, "It is amazing how someone with such bad experience can brag about past failures as successes. The party must not compromise regarding leadership that has failed."
Earlier Friday, MK Ami Ayalon, another candidate for Labor's top spot, said the party mustn't elect "hollow leadership that does not represent a clear stance on issues and that prefers ambiguity over clarity. Only leadership that speaks the truth, that does not choose image over substance, can regain the public's trust."