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Israeli Labor candidates missing their mark in primaries

Instead of focusing on the ability of Labor leadership candidates Amir Peretz and Avi Gabai to defeat Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the next elections, the media focus on their Mizrahi origins.
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The enthusiastic response to the fact that the two candidates who will take part in the second round of Labor Party primaries on July 10 are from Mizrahi origins does an injustice to Knesset members Amir Peretz and Avi Gabbay. It ensures that the old debate over ethnic issues remains within the boundaries of an outdated political discourse and diminishes the candidates' achievements.

It is no coincidence that Shas Party Chairman Aryeh Deri was quick to jump on the Mizrahi bandwagon. He responded to the two candidates' victory with this festive tweet: "Forget about politics and political blocs. The very fact that the Labor Party, the party that continues the legacy of [the predominantly Ashkenazi] Mapai party, elected Peretz and Gabbay tells us that we’ve made significant headway on the Mizrahi issue."

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