The Israelis party head Ron Huldai has called for an alliance between his party and Labor. "Once the Labor party has chosen new leadership, I will offer the new chairman/woman to join with us in building a strong, ethical alternative leadership together," he said.
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Huldai also wished outgoing Labor chairman Amir Peretz success upon his retirement from political life, saying, "The State of Israel owes you a great deal."
The Israelis party also announced it had welcomed a new member to its ranks: IDF Col. (res.) Anan Wahabi. A member of the Druze community, the party hopes his candidacy will help garner the sector's support in the upcoming election.
In a statement, Wahabi said, "The Israelis movement is the right home for promoting Israeli society in its entirety and bringing about the integration of equality in the Israeli periphery. I will fight for the full implementation of the value of equality, the continued planning and development of the communities and the implementation of the freezing of the Kaminitz Law [believed by some to target illegal Arab construction].
On Wednesday, Peretz announced he would be retiring from politics after 32 years during which he served as defense minister, environmental protection minister, a member of Knesset and now economy and industry minister. Peretz, 68, said, "I will continue to act for the benefit of the Israeli public out of love of man and a great belief in the need to bring all of the parts of the nation together at a time when the internal rift threatens to topple the foundations upon which Israeli society is built."
He said the party had chosen retired judge Yaakov Shimoni to head the party's election committee and ensure a "fair, transparent, and completely independent democratic process."
A source with close ties to Perez told Israel Hayom he had decided to retire from political life despite having received offered from a few political parties.
One of the party's activist's called Peretz's decision "a huge relief."
"A millstone around the neck of the party he brought to the abyss has finally been removed," the activist said.
Meanwhile, Dani Dayan, Israel's consul general in New York and former head of the Yesha Council, the umbrella organization of municipal councils of Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria, announced he would be joining Gideon Sa'ar's New Hope party.
"I am joining New Hope at a crucial moment in the country's history out of a sense of full commitment to the need for regime change and the establishment of a new government headed by Gideon Sa'ar, the only one who can lead the necessary change for Israel and its citizens."
Sa'ar called Dayan "an asset to the Israeli public."
"Dayan clearly and distinctly expresses the national-liberal idea and has a deep understanding of the importance of the unity of Israel and the unity of the Jewish people as a value and an essential component in Israel's strength." He said Dayan's knowledge of American society and its political system was "particularly valuable."
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