The first meeting of the Zionist Camp Knesset faction took place May 4 in an especially large conference room in the Knesset building, one of the rewards of being the second-largest party in the legislature. While the meeting was in progress, however, Knesset member Shelly Yachimovich made the rounds of the various news shows, explaining why she had decided to skip the event. Of course she didn’t say so explicitly, but this was Yachimovich's opening salvo in the race to lead the Labor Party — the larger partner in the Zionist Camp — and in the struggle between her and Tzipi Livni, Zionist Camp co-leader and head of Hatnua, over who will be the top woman in that party. Thus the Labor Party proved itself yet again to be a serial eliminator of its leaders. This time, however, with the 2015 elections a mere few weeks in the past, the attempt at political elimination was faster and more pointed than usual.
During the first few moments of the meeting, in a room crammed with Knesset members, their aides and the requisite TV crews, the members of the Zionist Camp still had no idea that Yachimovich was preparing a little surprise for them. They certainly had no idea how much that surprise would contrast the festive nature of their inaugural meeting.
