from Haaretz:

Melchior candidacy puts WZO, JA on ‘collision course,’ warn officials

The expected election next month of Rabbi Michael Melchior, a dovish politician, will lead to a clash between the World Zionist Organization and the Jewish Agency, chaired by the hawkish Nathan Sharansky, asserts a WZO official.

“If Melchior, who is further to the left than most Kadima members, is elected to head the WZO, it will put him on a collision course with Sharansky and with people from the organization itself,” a WZO official said on condition on anonymity. “Many people feel as though Melchior’s candidacy is being shoved down their throats,” said another source familiar with both bodies, citing the fact that Melchior is not formally a member of WZO steering committee.

…Melchior says the WZO is suffering from being leaderless. “It doesn’t matter if it’s me who’s elected in the end or not, but the lack of leadership is very damaging to the organization,” he says. “The WZO is losing people. We need to engage young people and offer then a new Zionist platform.