Defense Minister and Labor chair Ehud Barak said Monday that he will not be given the defense portfolio unless his party receives 20 mandates in Tuesday's Knesset elections.
During a tree-planting ceremony at Kibbutz Mishmar Hasharon in honor of Tu Bishvat, Barak told an audience, "Only a strong Labor movement will provide a response to the Right."
"Whoever identifies with the center-left and votes Kadima is taking a risk," he added.
Barak was responding to recent remarks concerning public opinion over his performance as defense minister. "People have approached me and told me, 'come, be defense minister,'… I cannot, and do not want to be defense minister if the Labor party does not receive close to 20 mandates."
Barak called on the voters aligned with the Left not to vote for Kadima. "More than a third of those on the party's list are absolutely identified with the Right," Barak insisted.
