Meretz Leader Galon Resigns as Head of Party

The head of the Meretz party Zehava Galon will resign from her position as chairwoman next week, according to media reports on Thursday.

“Galon will remain in her position at least until the end of the year and will continue to assist and act in Meretz affairs,” the party said.

This announcement comes two weeks after the Israeli general elections, where Meretz failed to pass the electoral threshold, remaining outside the Knesset for the first time since the party’s founding. The left-wing party earned 3.14% of the vote, needing only about 3,800 more votes to pass.

Following the election, Galon addressed voters, saying, “This is a very difficult moment for me and my friends in Meretz. The election results are a disaster for us, a disaster for the country, and yes, also a personal disaster for me.

“A few days before the elections, when I already knew that Meretz was in tangible danger, this very nightmare crossed my mind, of a Knesset without Meretz.

“I did what I never thought I would do again. When I saw that Meretz was in danger, I returned to the throes of politics, hoping to save Meretz and the entire bloc,” said Galon.

After Thursday’s announcement, outgoing Regional Cooperation Minister Issawi Frej of Meretz said that Galon “came back to save Meretz. The situation … was much worse than reported.”

He continued that the party “will not be restored.”

“A solid, strong house needs to be built, not for Meretz, but for the entire left-wing camp,” Frej said. During the interview, he did not rule out the possibility of Meretz merging with the left-wing Labor party in the future, something that Labor leader Merav Michaeli has been openly against.