MK Zehava Galon (Meretz) has notified the Knesset speaker of her resignation from the Knesset. She said that she had realized that she should spend all her time working as Meretz chairperson and in increasing the party's power by opening its ranks to new groups. Meretz general secretary Moshe Raz will replace her in the Knesset.
In a letter to party members, Galon wrote, "Meretz cannot exist as a closed club that ignores you - its voters and supporters - and prevents additional forces from taking part in our struggle to inject fresh blood into the left.
"I love the Knesset, but I love Meretz more, and I know that if Meretz does not open itself, Meretz will cease to exist. The left has a much larger and broader audience than the number of people who voted for Meretz. In order to realize this potential, Meretz has to change. I am convinced that my resignation from the Knesset will enable me, as chairperson, to concentrate on promoting open primaries and making Meretz a large and inclusive tent for everyone who believes in its values."
Galon, one of the most veteran opposition members, has been an MK since 1999, except for a two-year interregnum. Since entering the Knesset, she has never been part of the ruling coalition. In the elections to the 20th Knesset, when the minimum vote required for a party to enter the Knesset was increased, there was growing anxiety that Meretz would not poll enough votes to enter the Knesset. At the same time, sources in Meretz believe that the rightwing-leaning statements in recent days by Zionist Union chairperson Avi Gabbay about Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and his remark that the prime minister should not be put on trial for accepting gifts of champagne and cigars, will cause voters to support more leftwing parties.
In a letter sent today to party activists, Galon wrote, "I leave the Knesset with a heavy heart. I love this work, and being an elected official is a great mission and a privilege for which I give thanks each day. I am proud of my achievements in the 16 years during which I represented you in the struggle for equality and justice, for women's rights and the homosexual community, for the rights of Palestinians in Israel and the territories, against economic corruption and over-concentration in the economy, for narrowing social gaps, for human rights, and against the rightwing governments determined to destroy Israel's democratic charactieristics."
On Thursday, October 26, elections will be held in Meretz branches in which the party members will select the new party central committee. At the end of September, Galon will propose to the new committee changing the party election system to open primaries in order to enable all Meretz supporters to vote for the party chairperson and run for the Knesset on its list.
800 central committee members will be selected by open vote in the October 26 elections, and 200 "super-delegates," consisting of former Meretz MKs, local council members, and people belonging to professors' caucuses supporting Meretz from outside will be appointed to the central committee.
Galon is campaigning to gain as much support as possible among the 800 elected and 200 appointed central committee members for her open primaries initiative. She intends to spend the next week and the weeks following the central committee elections before a vote on a change in the party bylaws in December on this effort. Meretz has 18,000 official members.
During the past 24 hours, Galon informed the Meretz MKs of her intention to resign. Avi Dabush, no. 8 on the party Knesset list, who was among the initiators of the open primaries proposal, thanked Galon for her many years of parliamentary activity. He welcomed her endorsement of the proposal to open the election system in Meretz, and called on her to bring forward the elections for party leader.
Published by Globes [online], Israel Business News - www.globes-online.com - on October 18, 2017
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