A former prime minister won the Labor Party primary over a relative political newcomer, party officials said early Wednesday, in a race between two ex-military officers who both called on Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to step down.Party director-general Eitan Cabel said former Prime Minister Ehud Barak had beaten Ami Ayalon, a former navy commander, after a majority of votes were counted.
Israel Radio analyst Hanan Crystal said the final count was 34,960 for Barak and 31,100 for Ayalon, a margin of 6 percent. An official announcement was expected later Wednesday.
At a victory gathering in Tel Aviv, Barak called for party unity and pledged to pursue a policy that "combines uncompromising security, protecting Israel's solidarity and democracy, determined pursuit of real peace, reinforcement of the rule of law and healing Israeli society."
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