Barak: Israel needs me as defense minister

Rebutting recent rumors, Barak stressed that the Independence party, which he heads, will not be joining forces with the Likud party or any other. “We are running on our own,” he said.

Most surveys indicate that Independence (Atzmaut), the breakaway party Barak formed upon splitting from Labor in order to stay in the coalition in January 2011, will not clear the 2% threshold for Knesset representation. But Barak chose to focus on a Channel 10 survey from Wednesday morning that predicted his party would win three seats. He said he was confident the party would gain enough Knesset seats to retain key cabinet positions — notably his own.

Referring to ongoing turmoil in the region, Barak said decisions made by the government are vital to the future of the State of Israel — a presumed reference to the danger posed by Iran’s nuclear program, among other challenges.

He repeated time and again the need to have experience around the cabinet table when ministers vote on sensitive topics, noting that he had worked for decades with prime ministers since Menachem Begin in the late 1970s as well as serving as prime minister himself, from 1999 to 2001. (Barak was Israel’s most decorated soldier, rising to chief of General Staff, before going into politics.)

“Our — and my — hands are steady on the wheel,” Barak stated as he spoke about his party steering Israeli society forward. There is much to be done in the social, economic and security realms, he said.

“Judge for yourself who can make an actual difference — not only in words but in actions,” Barak suggested, before listing some of the topics that have been dominating public discourse in recent weeks.

Barak said legislating and implementing an alternative to the Tal Law was crucial, as was guaranteeing the rule of law in the West Bank.

In addition to helming the Defense Ministry, Barak predicted, members of the Independence party would hold other “ministerial and key positions” after the next elections.

Likud MK Danny Danon said in response that Barak’s aspirations to be a part of the next Knesset were completely unrealistic.

Elections are likely to be held toward the end of the summer, with September 4 being touted as the probable date. On Tuesday Yair Lapid launched his Yesh Atid party’s campaign, starting the battle for votes on the center-left.

The prime minister can appoint cabinet ministers who do not hold seats in the Knesset — as is the case with the current justice minister, Yaakov Neeman. However, several Likud politicians and senior members of other potential coalition parties are eyeing the Defense Ministry portfolio, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would meet resistance from them if he sought to keep Barak in the job were Independence to fail in the elections.

At the same time, Netanyahu has repeatedly said he works well with Barak, and has indicated that he likes to have Barak at his side when tackling key security challenges.