[10] Wilf also said that the party could not stay united because one faction was moving towards the "far left of Israeli politics," and the other side believed the current government was an effective partnership.

Eitan Cabel said it would "destroy the party,”[11] whilst Shelly Yachimovich called it "a corrupt and opportunistic move, designed to save Barak's seat in the government.

"[12] Daniel Ben-Simon had stated prior to the split that he would become an independent MK because of Labor's continued position in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

[9] In a move to avoid the months of bureaucracy involved in registering a new party, Barak negotiated a takeover of the Third Way with its leader Avigdor Kahalani.

[15] In February 2012, Minister Matan Vilnai resigned his post in the cabinet and the Knesset in order to become the Israeli Ambassador to China, and Shachiv Shnaan was sworn in instead.