Associates of outgoing Labor Party chairman Amir Peretz predicted Thursday that the Peretz camp will vote strongly in favor of rival Ami Ayalon in the Labor Party runoff for chairman.

Peretz is expected to announce his support for Ayalon on Sunday evening, presenting the details of an agreement to his supporters.

The associates said former prime minister Ehud Barak's pretentious behavior toward the defense minister had been a mistake, and that Barak realized too late he cannot dissolve the Peretz camp.

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They said Barak's request that Peretz not instruct his supporters how to vote in the party runoff will have the opposite effect.

Barak's team was attempting to dissolve the Peretz camp on Thursday. Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, a Barak supporter, met with Peretz supporter Minister Raleb Majadele on Thursday, courting Majadele's people in the Arab sector. Majadele is considered a weak link in the Peretz camp, because he is not interested in withdrawing from the government, which Ayalon has threatened to do.

Majadele told Ben-Eliezer that Barak's accusations were misplaced, and there was no prior agreement between Peretz and Ayalon. Majadele also told Ben-Eliezer that Barak could not win the runoff without the Peretz camp.

Majadele said that in contrast to comments of Barak's associates, Peretz was open to negotiating with Barak, and that Barak erred in discounting the former union strongman.

"I am personally uncomfortable with aligning with Barak because of the October 2005 events but had he spoken frankly with Amir, there would have been a basis for discussion."

Both Barak and Ayalon met Thursday with MK Ophir Pines-Paz, who ran against them in the first round, in the hope of getting his blessing in the runoff. Pines-Paz has not announced which contender he will support.