Barak tells Labor loyals he wants PM to 'to take personal responsibility'

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Defense Minister and Labor chairman Ehud Barak continues indirectly criticizing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, despite his decision to remain in the government following the publication of the final Winograd Committee report. "At the end of the day we want people to take personal responsibility," Barak said during a Labor convention Thursday evening. "Norms of government behavior are important for the state," he said. After his decision to remain in the government was much contested by members of his own party, most vocal among them being MKs Ophir Paz-Pines, Shelly Yacimovich and DannyYatom, Barak on Sunday claimed personal sacrifice in his decision: "I stay in the government despite the fact that I might pay a political price for it ... the Winograd report is a harsh report and calls for difficult conclusions," he said then. Sources in the Prime Minister's Office later hinted that those comments were inappropriate in light of his decision to stay in the coalition.