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Behind the scenes: The birth of the Meretz–Barak alliance

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, Meretz Knesset member Issawi Freij, architect of the surprising agreement to merge the electoral lists of Meretz and Ehud Barak's Democratic Israel for the upcoming elections, explains what happened behind the scenes and plans for the future.
TEL AVIV, ISRAEL - JULY 25:  Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak (L),  Stav Shafir of Labor Party (M) and Nitzan Horowitz of Meretz Party during a press conference on July 25, 2019 in Tel Aviv, Israel. Former Israeli Prime Minister join forces with Left Wing party Meretz and Stav Shafir of Labor ahead of September elections.  (Photo by Amir Levy/Getty Images)
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Many people were surprised by the merger of Meretz with Ehud Barak’s Democratic Israel going into September elections when it was first reported on the morning of July 25. Few people knew about the secret talks that led to the parties agreeing to form an electoral list alliance. One person who knew nothing about them was Meretz chair Nitzan Horowitz. He only learned of the negotiations after they were over, when he was presented with a memorandum of understanding ready for him to sign.

In an exclusive interview with Al-Monitor, the architect of the agreement, Meretz Knesset member Issawi Freij, offered a detailed account of the behind-the-scenes events that led to the surprising merger and revealed that former Meretz leader Zahava Gal-On had been consulted during them. The interview, conducted just hours after the alliance was announced, offers a rare glimpse into how the most dramatic move in the current election campaign came to pass.

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