Herzog hangs his hat on natural gas issue
During the election campaign, Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog concentrated on a diplomatic agenda, but now, following the electoral failure, he tries to position himself at the forefront of the natural gas debate.
Isaac Herzog, opposition chairman and Zionist Camp leader, has been trying in recent days to spearhead the opposition to the gas compromise hashed out between the state and the gas companies — a compromise that the diplomatic-security Cabinet endorsed on June 25.
Several huge natural gas reservoirs were discovered offshore between 2009 and 2012. Since then, the government has been struggling to establish a balanced policy that sees the public interest as well as the struggle for social justice and recognizes the great deal of money the rich gas companies invested in those reservoirs.
Unable to rally the huge 59-member opposition (out of 120) since Netanyahu’s fourth government was sworn in, Herzog is dealing with internal tensions within his own party. He faces the possibility that he might be forced into holding a primary for the party leadership within the coming year. Breathing down his neck are Tel Aviv Mayor Ron Huldai, who confirmed that he was contemplating the possibility of running, and the Labor Party’s (later becoming the Zionist Camp) former Chairwoman Shelly Yachimovich, who's also said to be a potential contender.
Yachimovich turned the Labor Party into one with a clear social and socialist agenda. This marked change has been evident in the directions the party has taken in the sitting Knesset, which has forced Herzog to toe the line. The battle over the gas fields is clearly a case in point.
