Israeli Labour leader resigns as splits within party widen

Amram Mitzna resigned last night as leader of the Israeli Labour Party, which he led to a resounding defeat in January's general election. The dovish former general campaigned for a far-reaching compromise peace deal with the Palestinians.

Speaking at a hastily summoned press conference, Mr Mitzna recalled that he had been elected leader by a huge majority last December, but complained that "unfortunately there were people in the present leadership who did not internalise or respect this. They put their personal interests before the party. They were more interested in fighting me than in fighting for peace."

The party general secretary, Ofer Pines, said the Labour rank and file would probably choose a new leader by the end of July.

Mr Mitzna, a former mayor of Haifa, Israel's third-largest city, said he was prepared to fight for his peace policy, but that he was "less sure of my ability and desire to fight every morning anew for my legitimacy as Labour Party leader".

He did not name names, but he has been constantly challenged by Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a former defence minister whom he defeated in the party primary. Mr Ben-Eliezer was widely expected to run against the incumbent in a rerun previously scheduled for March next year.

Another former minister, Matan Vilnai, had announced on Saturday that he was also thinking of contesting the leadership. Mr Vilnai criticised Mr Mitzna for moving the party "too far to the left". He objected to hints that the outgoing leader was ready to take Labour into a coalition with Ariel Sharon, the Prime Minister, if he advanced the peace process. "This is not the time to join the Sharon government," Mr Vilnai insisted. In any case, he added, the party would decide, not its leader alone. Mr Ben-Eliezer and Mr Vilnai belong to Labour's more hawkish right wing.