Tape suggests 2 senior MKs agreed secret Labor takeover deal

A recording leaked on Thursday appeared to point to a secret deal between former Labor party chairwoman MK Shelly Yachimovich and veteran party MK Eitan Cabel under which each will support the other in a dual leadership bid for the party and Israel’s main union. The two deny any such deal has been reached.

In the recording obtained by Channel 2 of a conversation that took place about a month ago, Cabel can be heard saying to another political figure that he will back Yachimovich in her bid to become head of the Histadrut labor federation in exchange for her supporting his, as yet unannounced, bid for leadership of the Labor party.

“I met with Shelly, I want to go with Shelly to the Histadrut,” Cabel is heard saying. “Shelly is committed to support me in the elections for leadership of the party.”

Yachamovich and Cabel have both denied that they are working together to become heads of the two organizations. On Thursday, both again denied any collusion, saying the recording was taken out of context.

Yachimovich announced in early February that she will seek to become the head of the Histadrut in the organization’s elections in May against incumbent Avi Nissenkorn, the only other candidate in the race.

With candidates required to run as representatives of factions within the Histadrut, Nissenkorn had attempted to prevent Yachimovich from joining the race by signing agreements of support with each union caucus.

But in a last-minute move, Labor Party veteran MK Eitan Cabel withdrew his support for Nissenkorn and allowed Yachimovich to run as head of his own Social Home faction.

In a statement Thursday, Cabel denied the report of a deal and discounted the recording. “What I said in that conversation was wishful thinking. Even I don’t know whether I want to realize it,” he said. “I didn’t ask her to support me for leadership of the party, and of course she didn’t promise to do so.”

Cabel also said his words on the tape were taken out of context, and accused Nissenkorn of being behind the attempt to discredit him.

“Leaking selected excerpts from a conversation lasting many long hours is another last gasp of Nissenkorn of the [former Histadrut leader Ofer] Eini family to avoid the elections,” he said. “These efforts indicate the fear they feel…. there will be elections and Nissenkorn has to deal with that.”

Yachimovich rejected the report and the recordings, saying that “there was no deal and will be no deal, not verbally and not in writing.” She said that her supporters do not take orders from anyone but support her in the best interests of the party.

Labor party leader Isaac Herzog, who has thrown his support behind Nissenkorn, said that the recordings show a serious level of corruption.

“This is a breach of confidence against the wider public and members of the Labor party,” he said.