In advance of Israel’s national election next month, the center-left Labor party released its party platform which calls for a resumption of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks within three months. It also supports the evacuation of Jewish communities in the West Bank that are not part of large blocs, and advocates an agreement on Jerusalem. In the last election, Labor won 13 seats in the 120-seat Parliament, although Defense Minister Ehud Barak then broke away to start his own party. Labor, headed by former journalist Shelly Yacimovich, has tried to bring social issues such as Israel’s growing income gap and price increases on consumer goods, to the fore.