Labor Chairman Ehud Barak attempted to convince party members Monday to refrain from automatically dismissing the option of participating in a Likud-led government. He said a decision by Kadima to sit in the opposition would render the party "a fifth wheel".
The defense minister claimed that "senior market officials, military officials, and judges want us in the coalition. No one says the opposition is better than the coalition and if Kadima is in the opposition we will be a fifth wheel."
During an impromptu meeting with Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni at the Knesset later in the day, Barak said Netanyahu "is more flexible than people think" with regards to the peace process, adding that he "gave (the Arabs) more than all of us put together."
