Israel's struggling Labor party chooses new leader

Michaeli, 54, faces a difficult task as she tries to revive the fortunes of the iconic party. Labor guided Israel to independence in 1948 and led the country for its first three decades.

Israel's Labor Party on Sunday chose Merav Michaeli, a veteran lawmaker and former journalist, as its new leader ahead of March elections.

A veteran lawmaker and former journalist Merav Michaeli.(Twitter.com/MeravMichaeli)

Michaeli, 54, faces a difficult task as she tries to revive the fortunes of the iconic party. Labor guided Israel to independence in 1948 and led the country for its first three decades.

But it has struggled to remain relevant over the past two decades as peacemaking with the Palestinians ground to a halt and the electorate appears to have embraced Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's hard-line ideology.

Opinion polls have forecast Labor will not receive the minimum number of votes needed to enter the next parliament.

Michaeli has been a leading progressive voice in the Knesset, or parliament, supporting women's rights, LGBT causes and the rights of workers in addition to seeking peace with the Palestinians.

In a message to supporters posted on Facebook, Michaeli urged people to “come home.” “I call on people who feel that politics doesn't represent them, to those who feel that politics doesn't hear their voice, come home,” she said.