The Labor party on Sunday unanimously approved the unity deal struck between leader Isaac Herzog and Hatnuah Chairwoman Tzipi Livni, which will see them run in the 2015 elections on one ticket. As part of the deal, Herzog secured the second slot on Labor's Knesset list for Livni, and guaranteed five other slots for Hatnuah (slots 8, 16, 21, 24 and 25). The caucus also approved Herzog's motion to give the 11th slot on the list to an "external party" of his choosing. Similar arrangements have been set for slots further down Labor's list, in places 20 to 40. While most Labor members seemed enthused over the deal -- recent polls projected the Labor-Hatnuah ticket could potentially win as many as 24 Knesset seats -- many of the party's MKs were vexed by the number of seats secured for Livni's faction, saying Herzog's manipulation of Labor's Knesset list may come at their expense. Hatnuah sources said that at this time, Livni has yet to decide to which of her current party members she plans to offer the slots. Herzog has been rumored to be negotiating a similar union with Kadima leader Shaul Mofaz. Kadima held two seats in the 19th Knesset and is not projected to pass the election threshold should Kadima run independently in 2015. Labor sources said Sunday no deal has been reached at this time. Labor members have also agreed to designate several sectorial slots on the party's Knesset list: Six places have been secured for women in the party's top 20 slots; the 15th and 18th slots were secured for representatives of the kibbutzim and moshavim; minorities have been guaranteed the 16th and 17th slots, and immigrants have been guaranteed the 28th place on the list. "In 94 days, we will change things. There will be a political upset," Herzog told caucus members. He stressed that the deal with Livni was "a true partnership between leaders," which represented "the parties that have made the good of the country their top priority." "It's no secret that I deliberated for a long time before I made the decision to run with Tzipi Livni on a joint ticket," Herzog said. "I made a personal and leadership decision, based on the fact that those who see to public affairs in good faith must always place public interests above their own. I know Livni's skills and capabilities and I can tell you that together, we will lead Israel toward a better future." Herzog vowed to do his best "to create an alternative to [Prime Minister Benjamin] Netanyahu's crippled government. Labor is marching, united, toward resuming its leadership of Israel." Former Labor Chairwoman MK Shelly Yachimovich, who during her term as party leader refused a similar offer by Livni, welcomed the move, telling caucus members, "Herzog is making the right move. It's true that I, like many others, would have preferred to see Herzog be the only candidate for prime minister, and I'm also not a fan of securing places [on the Knesset list], but this is a sober, practical deal, which has been struck with the country's best interest at heart, and with the desire to realize our values within the political framework." Meanwhile, attorney Eldad Yaniv, a former legal counsel to Labor during Ehud Barak's term as prime minister, announced he would be vying for a place on the party's Knesset. Eldad formed the Eretz Hadasha ("New Country") party ahead of the 2013 elections, but failed to pass the election threshold. "Herzog represents something new, something we haven't tried since the days of Prime Minister Levi Eshkol, who was arguably one of the best prime ministers we've ever had. I call it 'sanity.' Why don't we give sanity a chance? You all know Netanyahu -- you don't know Herzog," Eldad said. 'Livni has lost it' Also on Sunday, Livni received scathing criticism over a guest appearance she made on Channel 2's political comedy show "State of the Nation," which aired Saturday. Her well-rehearsed segment on the show, drafted by her advisers, was riddled with denigrating remarks against Netanyahu, which many in the Right said crossed the line. Commenting on jokes made in the show over her "political marriage" to Herzog, Livni said, "We've decided that we weren't going to fight about who is going to do the dishes or the laundry, but we plan on taking the trash out together." Netanyahu, she jibed, "said this election was about the 0 percent value added tax [rate]. I always thought there was a zero in this story, but it's not VAT." She then added, "I think a rotation and two potential prime ministers are preferable to an impotent prime minister." Intelligence and Strategic Affairs Minister Yuval Steinitz lambasted Livni's "rude, crass, and irresponsible remarks. I don't even want to think about the public uproar that would have erupted had someone from the Right said such things about Livni." Interior Minister Gilad Erdan wrote in a post on his Facebook page, "Let me tell you something, Tzipi, about the man who you called 'trash' and a 'zero': In his dozens of years in politics he has never sought to personally offend a political rival. Netanyahu, unlike you, has kept his cool even while coming under wretched attacks, the like of which you mounted yesterday." Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz wondered whether Livni was "under the influence of drugs during the show. 'State of the Nation' depicted a bizarre figure hurling unprecedented insults at the prime minister. Since losing touch with [Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud] Abbas, Livni has just lost all balance. She's addicted to talks with the Palestinians and she can't kick the habit." The Legal Forum for the Land of Israel on Sunday filed a complaint with Election Committee Supreme Court head Justice Salim Joubran, asking him to sanction Livni over her statements on the show.
