Peretz will present his proposal to Blue and White leader Benny Gantz ahead of a Blue and White faction meeting on Wednesday.
By GIL HOFFMANAmir Peretz at the Maariv/Jerusalem Post election conference on September 11(photo credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM)
Blue and White, Labor, Gesher and Meretz must all run together in the March 2 election in order to beat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Labor-Gesher leader Amir Peretz demanded in an interview with Channel 12 on Tuesday night.Peretz has been under pressure to run with Meretz in order to ensure that Labor-Gesher and Meretz both pass the 3.25% electoral threshold.“There needs to be one ballot for replacing Netanyahu,” Peretz said. “The ball is now in the court of Blue and White.”Peretz will present his proposal to Blue and White leader Benny Gantz ahead of a Blue and White faction meeting on Wednesday. Peretz received support for the move from his faction earlier Tuesday.Blue and White’s No. 2, MK Yair Lapid, said his party was centrist or center-right and would not unite with parties on the Left like Labor or Meretz.Peretz said that if Blue and White rejected the offer, he would consider uniting with Meretz.Meretz leader Nitzan Horowitz said he would welcome the larger merger but said that uniting Labor and Merrtz was most urgent.The move to unite Blue and White, Labor, Gesher and Meretz also received the blessing from Democratic Union MK Stav Shaffir, who may have to pay a price for the move. Labor is mad at Shaffir for leaving the party and may decide to leave her out if such a bond is forged.
