Labor chairwoman Shelly Yacimovich slammed the Iran policies of her predecessor at the helm of the party, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, in an interview with The Jerusalem Post that will be published in next Friday’s Shavuot supplement.
Yacimovich specializes in socioeconomic issues, but now that she is opposition leader and a candidate for prime minister, she expresses opinions on every matter. On Iran, she believes that serious sanctions have just begun and that every nonmilitary approach must be exhausted before a military strike comes into play.
“All options are on the table, but the military option in my opinion should be the last one,” she said. “We must first exhaust all the economic international options with full cooperation with the US and other powers. Israel cannot turn the Iranian nuclear issue into one that is only our responsibility. We need to be part of a world coalition.”
Yacimovich complained that there is “too much chatter on Iran” and said “it has crossed every line.” She said she did not believe that Barak agreed with her that the military option should be the last one.
“I am not convinced, to say the least, that this is the current government’s policy,” she said. “I am using all of the influence I have so that my understanding on Iran will be the dominant one. It was Barak who said declarations won’t stop the centrifuges. I suggest he listen to his own advice.”
Sources close to Barak responded that Yacimovich only embarrasses herself when she criticizes the defense minister on security issues, especially Iran.
“Yacimovich understands a few issues,” a Barak associate said. “Security and diplomatic issues are not among them.”
On Tuesday, US Ambassador Dan Shapiro said to a closed meeting that while the US preferred a diplomatic resolution to the nuclear standoff with Iran, that did not mean Washington would not use the military option and it already has such an option ready, Channel 2 news reported on Wednesday.

By GIL HOFFMAN, LAHAV HARKOV. Jerusalem Post staff contributed to this report.

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