Labor chief will not resign despite electoral disaster

According to the final count, Israel's Labor Party managed to garner only six Knesset seats in the April 9 elections, the worst result ever for the party.

At first it was generally assumed that Avi Gabbay would resign as chairman as early as election night once the extent of the damage became clear. But this wishful thinking didn’t last long. As he stood before the cameras while exit polls gave Labor just six to eight seats, for a moment Gabbay looked like he was about to deliver a concession speech, assume responsibility for the party’s failure and step down. He did speak about the electoral blow and a very difficult night, but then surprised everyone by failing to take any responsibility for the shocking outcome.