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Israel’s new opposition leader vows to oust gov’t

02 April 2012 20:43 (UTC +04:00)

Baku-APA. The newly-elected chairman of Israel’s Kadima opposition party said on Monday that his ultimate mission is to unseat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, APA reports quoting Xinhua.

"We are striving to replace Netanyahu’s government. There will not be negotiations to join this cold and detached government," Shaul Mofaz said at a party meeting held shortly before he was officially appointed as opposition leader.

Mofaz, who chairs the parliament’s Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee (FADC), won 61.7 percent of the votes in the Kadima primaries last Tuesday, crushing bitter rival Tzipi Livni, who secured 37.2 percent.

The following day, Mofaz announced plans to challenge Netanyahu ’s economic policies by leading Israel’s social protest movement, and said he would spearhead a public campaign to enlist ultra- Orthodox Jewish men in the military.

On Monday, Mofaz said he will seek control of the parliament’s Economics Committee in order to "deal with the economic issues Netanyahu has been unable to handle," The Jerusalem Post quoted him as saying.

The committee is currently headed by Likud lawmaker Carmel Shama, but Kadima is expected to assume control in May as part of a fixed rotation in which it will hand over the FADC to Likud, according to Army Radio.

It remains unclear whether former Kadima chairwoman Livni will remain in the party or quit politics. Following his victory, Mofaz called on Livni to join his efforts to "return Israel to the right path," underscoring the need for a united party.