The Israeli Labour Party will hold its leadership primaries on Tuesday. Of the eight candidates, three are virtually unknown, and the vote is expected to be split between the five more prominent contenders.

Current leader Isaac Herzog was seen early on in the race as likely to lose his position, especially after his repeated attempts to join Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition. However, new revelations in recent months on Mr Herzog’s involvement in a secret international peace initiative during which he was urged by Arab leaders to join the government, have restored some of his support.

Many Labour observers expect former party leader and ex-defence minister Amir Peretz to do well on Tuesday but he is unlikely to receive the necessary 40 per cent to cross the threshold on the first round. Should none of the candidates pass the threshold, there will be another round of voting between the two front-runners, a week later. In such a case, supporters of the other candidates could coalesce around whoever opposes Mr Peretz who is seen as a divisive figure and too left-wing to appeal to the wider public.

Another prominent candidate is former environment minister Avi Gabbai, who received a boost last Friday when Amiram Levin, a former IDF General and deputy Mossad chief pulled out of the race and announced his support for Gabbai.

Still in contention are Knesset members Erel Margalit and Omer Bar-Lev. Mr Margalit has run a slick Internet campaign, playing up his credentials as a successful venture capital and hi-tech entrepreneur. Mr Bar Lev, a former IDF colonel, is relying on his “Mr Security” image. But it will be a surprise if either of them makes it to the second round.

Whoever wins faces a mammoth task in trying to revive a party that has not won an election since 1999 and is currently lagging in the polls behind both Likud and Yesh Atid.