Defense Minister Ehud Barak's decision to quit his embattled Labor Party and form a faction of his own by the name of Independence was welcomed by some of his former colleagues as a long-awaited chance to rebuild the movement.
Barak's move follows months of squabbling within the once all-powerful Labor Party, with some senior members challenging his leadership and many supporters unhappy over his close ties with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
A senior associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Israel Radio that the move would undoubtedly strengthen the coalition and allow the government to operate more smoothly.
Minority Affairs minister Avishay Braverman, who demanded earlier this month that Labor deliver an ultimatum on remaining in the coalition, deemed Barak's decision another step in the "Labor Party's continuing crisis."
"The Labor Party does not depend on one person or another," he said. "This crisis gives us the chance to rebuild a strong movement. The Labor movement is on a new path."
Labor MK Eitan Cabel declared that Barak's decision "proved that these people have finally destroyed Labor," adding: "They must ask me and my colleagues for forgiveness."
"The significance of the announcement is dramatic, but certainly hasn’t knocked me off my seat," Cabel told Army Radio immediately after the first reports emerged. "I've been saying for more than two years that Labor is over."
Responses from other factions began filtering in soon after Barak announced his decision. MK Aryeh Eldad, of the National Union – National Religious Party, said that Barak should have made the decision to "quit political life and save us all from punishment."