"There is life in the Labor party. Let's roll up our sleeves. It is within our power to return Labor to leading the country," Chairman Ehud Barak said Wednesday evening during the party's convention.
"We plan on winning the next elections out of will power and the correct way. No one will teach us what it means to be committed to the State. The party lives. The old charter was not appropriate. We must not be afraid of changes," he said.
Addressing the dissent within the party over its charter, Barak said "how can we expect people to vote for us if we shoot each other on a daily basis? One day I'm referred to as (Venezuelen President Hugo) Chavez, and the next day I'm called Saddam Hussein. This constitutes character assassination.
"There are party members who are conducting themselves in an undemocratic and immoral manner. I won't succumb to the ideological dictatorship of members who do not accept authority," Barak added.
Earlier Wednesday, Barak reached a compromise agreement with ministers Isaac Herzog, Avishay Braverman and Ophir Pines-Paz on the party's charter, according to which the next primary elections will be held in October 2012,The changes to the charter, which also included increasing the power of the party's courts, were approved at the party's conference.
The deal, struck just hours before Labor's Central Committee convened, also states that should the general elections be pushed up, the party will hold primaries to determine its leadership ahead of the vote.
"We plan on winning the next elections out of will power and the correct way. No one will teach us what it means to be committed to the State. The party lives. The old charter was not appropriate. We must not be afraid of changes," he said.
Addressing the dissent within the party over its charter, Barak said "how can we expect people to vote for us if we shoot each other on a daily basis? One day I'm referred to as (Venezuelen President Hugo) Chavez, and the next day I'm called Saddam Hussein. This constitutes character assassination.
"There are party members who are conducting themselves in an undemocratic and immoral manner. I won't succumb to the ideological dictatorship of members who do not accept authority," Barak added.
Earlier Wednesday, Barak reached a compromise agreement with ministers Isaac Herzog, Avishay Braverman and Ophir Pines-Paz on the party's charter, according to which the next primary elections will be held in October 2012,The changes to the charter, which also included increasing the power of the party's courts, were approved at the party's conference.
The deal, struck just hours before Labor's Central Committee convened, also states that should the general elections be pushed up, the party will hold primaries to determine its leadership ahead of the vote.