Earlier this month, Yechimovich screened Michaeli's calls and ignored her SMS messages notifying her about joining the party, since according to Yechimovich Michaeli would have a bad effect of the center-left image shes is trying to paint Labor party.
"The most bitter pill Yacimovich has to swallow is the incredible success of Haaretz columnist Merav Michaeli," wrote Anshel Pfeffer in Haaretz. "Michaeli was another of the candidates that Yacimovich saw as "too left-wing" for her list."