Israel's Livni enters 'Zionist Camp' electoral coalition with Labour party

Israel’s Labour Party on Wednesday announced it would be entering into an election pact with Tzipi Livni’s centrist Hatnua party, forming a electoral bloc against Israel’s “extreme right.”

Isaac Herzog, the Labour Party’s leader, stated at a press conference that, if elected, he would serve the first two years as Prime Minister and Livni the second two. Their new joint list will be named ‘HaMahaneh HaTzioni’ translating as “The Zionist Camp.”

“A year ago, I was elected as the chairman of the Labour Party for one cause, to be an alternative, to create an alternative, to replace the bad policy of this government in economical, security and diplomatic sectors,” Herzog told reporters.

He slammed current Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his record in office.

“In every issue that you would point at, the country is going backwards.”

He said that he and Livni were “offering the citizens of Israel a new hope and a better future.”

The two leaders assured reporters that though they would be running on a joint list – using the slogan “Winning together, the Zionist Camp”- both parties would maintained their political independence.

Livni said that she believed the partnership would “change the regime in Israel.”

“I believe that Herzog can be, and will be, the next Prime Minister of Israel.”

She said that they could “unite the Zionist political camp that’s had enough of the extreme right-wing regime.”

“The extremists have taken over every piece of political space in the Likud,” she said, claiming that her former coalition partner Netanyahu had left Israel “isolated from the world.”

Shelly Yachimovich, former chairwoman of the Labour party, said she was pleased by the announcement.

"It is clear that, as of tonight, the age of Netanyahu is over,” she was reported as saying by Ynet news. “This is an important, intelligent merger which signals a wave of hope."

"Netanyahu has a sane and smart replacement - Isaac Herzog,” she added. “This is a fantastic start to an election campaign, at the end of which a good government which carries for the people will be formed."

A Channel 10 poll released on Tuesday revealed that a joint Livni-Herzog ticket could potentially unseat Netanyahu’s Likud party, though the largest number said they would still prefer Netanyahu as Prime Minister.

When asked by a reporter whether the two leaders would rule out a coalition with Netanyahu, Herzog did not offer a denial, saying instead that he was “planning to win.”

Response on social media to the announcement was mixed:

On Monday Israeli lawmakers unanimously voted to dissolve the Israeli, Knesset with a new election date set for March 17.

93 parliament members voted in favour of dissolving the Knesset on Monday, less than a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's ruling coalition fell apart and he called for early ballots.