No Deal: Labor Party leader Shelly Yacimovich insists she?ll be in the opposition, not joining Benjamin Netanyahu?s government. Image by getty images

Labor party chairwoman Shelly Yacimovich reiterated over the weekend that she would not join Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, despite reports indicating she was involved in coalition talks. “We will lead the opposition and won’t join the government,” she said. “Our path doesn’t cross the path of the one assembling the government.”

Some within Likud who believed that Labor could be convinced to join the government, and also be an alternative to the bloc that has been formed by Habayit Hayehudi’s Naftali Bennett and Yesh Atid’s Yair Lapid. Yacimovich, however, has categorically rebuffed these efforts.

Yacimovich stated that Netanyahu’s call to renew the peace process was nothing more than a maneuver aimed at appeasing U.S. President Barack Obama during his upcoming visit.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

“Netanyahu is saying: Let’s develop a peace process in honor of Obama’s visit while maintaining the stagnation and isolation,” she said. “We say: Let’s be the initiators and drivers of diplomatic processes that are aimed at peace.”

For more, go to Haaretz.com

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount