Sayhey
Nov 10, 2005, 07:40 PM
Ran across this news and it sounds significant, not only because it means a transition for the Labour Party, but also because it means the end of the coalition government and likely new elections.
Profile: Amir Peretz
By Jonathan Marcus
BBC Diplomatic correspondent
Amir Peretz, leader of the Israeli trade union federation Histadrut, has supplanted Labour's veteran leader Shimon Peres at a critical moment both for his country and for the politics of the region.
Born in Morocco in 1952 and brought up in the immigrant development town of Sderot in southern Israel, Mr Peretz represents not just a new generation of Labour leader but also a quest to return the party to its social democratic roots.
His goal is to reverse the political upheaval of 1977 when Likud first came to power, an outcome that ended Labour's traditional dominance of the Israeli political system that had lasted since the creation of the state in 1948.
Labour had become the establishment party. Likud swept to power on a wave of support from poorer Sephardi voters, Jews who originally came from Arab countries.
As a Sephardi himself, Mr Peretz wants to reverse this trend. He wants to rebuild Labour into a party of social concern to appeal to the young and new immigrants. And he believes that his own background could enable Labour to make significant inroads into the Sephardi ranks of traditional Likud voters.
Mr Peretz's pitch is ideological revival, and to this extent he appeals to those who want to see a younger, more dynamic Labour Party.
But earlier efforts to pass the torch to a new generation of Labour leaders have largely failed at the ballot box. This domestic focus is all very well, but the dovish Mr Peretz is untested in foreign policy matters.
Labour's upheaval comes at a time when Ariel Sharon's Likud Party is bitterly divided. If Labour opts to leave the government as Mr Peretz wants - possibly precipitating new elections - Israeli politics could be in for some very uncertain times. BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4425260.stm)
Profile: Amir Peretz
By Jonathan Marcus
BBC Diplomatic correspondent
Amir Peretz, leader of the Israeli trade union federation Histadrut, has supplanted Labour's veteran leader Shimon Peres at a critical moment both for his country and for the politics of the region.
Born in Morocco in 1952 and brought up in the immigrant development town of Sderot in southern Israel, Mr Peretz represents not just a new generation of Labour leader but also a quest to return the party to its social democratic roots.
His goal is to reverse the political upheaval of 1977 when Likud first came to power, an outcome that ended Labour's traditional dominance of the Israeli political system that had lasted since the creation of the state in 1948.
Labour had become the establishment party. Likud swept to power on a wave of support from poorer Sephardi voters, Jews who originally came from Arab countries.
As a Sephardi himself, Mr Peretz wants to reverse this trend. He wants to rebuild Labour into a party of social concern to appeal to the young and new immigrants. And he believes that his own background could enable Labour to make significant inroads into the Sephardi ranks of traditional Likud voters.
Mr Peretz's pitch is ideological revival, and to this extent he appeals to those who want to see a younger, more dynamic Labour Party.
But earlier efforts to pass the torch to a new generation of Labour leaders have largely failed at the ballot box. This domestic focus is all very well, but the dovish Mr Peretz is untested in foreign policy matters.
Labour's upheaval comes at a time when Ariel Sharon's Likud Party is bitterly divided. If Labour opts to leave the government as Mr Peretz wants - possibly precipitating new elections - Israeli politics could be in for some very uncertain times. BBC (http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4425260.stm)
