Israel’s Labor party in disarray after leader Gabbay quits

Avi Gabbay who was elected in 2017 to lead the veteran Labor Party, announced Tuesday he won’t seek re-election in the forthcoming vote for party chairman ahead of the Sept. 17 general election. Gabbay submitted to demands for his resignation after the party dropped six seats in the 120-member parliament in the April vote. Gabbay failed to meet expectations that he would bring a fresh surge to the party after years of declining popular support against Binyamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud. The party is now sunk in a bitter leadership battle as a former leader, Amir Peretz, struggles against younger talent to return to the top spot.