Former Chief of Staff and senior Blue and White party official Gabi Ashkenazi admits that candidate Avi Nissenkorn is a problematic figure in the eyes of the electorate.
The program "Good Morning Israel" on Galei Tzahal aired recordings this morning (Tuesday) in which Ashkenazi was heard responding to a woman in the audience, during a party conference in Rishon LeZion.
The woman claimed that she was afraid to vote for Blue and White, due to the fact that she did not want the chairman of the Histadrut to serve as Minister of Finance in the future.
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Ashkenazi replied to her: "We are aware of this. You are not the first to ask. We do not intend to implement Histadrut policies in Blue and White. We do not intend that in Blue and White, and Nissenkorn does not intend either - that there will be a culture of committees here.".
Ashkenazi also responded to transcripts that were revealed last night on Channel 12, which reveal his struggle with then-Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
""They're dirtying us. They find all kinds of recordings from a decade ago, I have the recordings saved while on the other side, the Minister of Defense, strangely enough - one was broken, one burned, one was crushed and things are taken out of context. It's unpleasant, it's embarrassing, but I know the truth. I simply know the truth. And I'm in my private space, in my office when I talk to my friends. It's like my tent. So sometimes I've said unpleasant things in my own time," he admitted.
Blue and White responded: "Avi Nissenkorn is an important social leader who led to an increase in the minimum wage, the integration of workers with disabilities, and the anchoring of the rights of security and cleaning workers. He is a responsible leader, during whose time there were no major strikes in the economy. Blue and White advocates a free market economy, but one that at the end of the day sees the citizen at the center and the basic public services to which he is entitled - education, healthcare, and welfare.".
The party added: "The cooperation in Blue and White is excellent and there is great respect between Ashkenazi and Nissenkorn.".
