Blue and White taps ex-trade union chief Nissenkorn as faction chairman

Blue and White party chief Benny Gantz appoints former trade union chief Avi Nissenkorn, the party’s No. 5, as the chairman of the faction in the Knesset, according to a party statement.

Histadrut leader Avi Nissenkorn attends a hearing at the National Labor Court in Jerusalem on December 5, 2017. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Many Israeli media outlets report the development as a surprise, after Nissenkorn was barely featured in Blue and White’s election campaign out of fear his past in the Histadrut labor union organization was deterring potential voters.

Incoming lawmakers Meir Cohen and Zvi Hauser will help Nissenkorn in managing faction and opposition affairs.

“I am convinced that Avi’s past experience with the Knesset institutions will enable successful work,” Gantz says, wishing him luck.