Labor head to be economy minister, defends joining Netanyahu to influence policy

Labor leader Amir Peretz tells Army Radio he will be Economy Minister in the new government headed by Likud’s Benjamin Netanyahu. Fellow Labor MK Itzik Shmuli will head be minister of labor and social services, he says.

He defends his decision to join the government, saying he led the anti-Netanyahu push as far as he could, but wants to have influence.

“I want the Labor Party to return to the center of public life. When the socio-economic crisis is at its height, I could not stand to the side,” he says.

However, he adds that even before the March 2 elections, while his party was still allied with Meretz and before the extent of the health crisis was known, he had decided to make a “strategic partnership” with Benny Gantz of the Blue and White party.

“Gantz is a good and decent man,” he says.

Asked about West Bank annexation, which will seemingly be among the government’s top agenda items, he says he has always supported annexation of the Etzion settlement bloc south of Jerusalem.

The Labor Party’s central leadership is set to vote Sunday on whether to join the government. On Tuesday, Labor MK Merav Michaeli, who has refused to join the government, said she hopes the move is torpedoed by the vote.

Peretz tells Army Radio that he will respect the decision, whatever it is, though he’s already started holding meetings as economy minister-designate.