Cabel: Labor has glorious past but now engulfed in fog

Labor party holds first meeting since 5 MKs formed new party; Ben-Eliezer says sure of one thing: Labor will return to the front of the stage.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Labor MKs Peretz Cabel Ben-Simon 311 AP (photo credit: AP)
Labor MKs Peretz Cabel Ben-Simon 311 AP
(photo credit: AP)
Labor party members gathered Thursday evening for the first time since Defense Minister Ehud Barak split from the party with four other MKs to form the new Independence faction.
The party members met to discuss setting up party elections to choose a new head of the party, the restoring the party's constitution, and the organizing of members nation-wide.
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MK Amir Peretz told the gathering that it is still unknown "how this happened, but the electricity and the energy in this hall makes it worth the effort imposed on us all to act in order to unify for our values." He added, "To the citizens of Israel - come in your masses, be a part of the party and together we will make the changes to the State of Israel."
Temporary head of the Labor Party Eitan Cabel warned of a battle over the party's chairmanship, saying that "anyone who pushes the struggle over the job of party chairman will cause us to find ourselves once again in an endless struggle." "We have a glorious past but are presently covered in fog," he continued," I swear to do everything in order for it to be a strong party."
MK Binyamin Ben-Eliezer reminisced about the past of the party: "I have a dream of returning to a night in 1992, when at ten at night they announced: 'Revolution.' Forty-four mandates for the labor Party." Ben-Eliezer said, "I don't know if we will reach that [level of support] in the coming years, but for many years we haven't been allowed to see a situation like this with eight members standing together, with outstretched hands."
Ben-Eliezer showed his optimism, saying, "I'm sure of one thing: The Labor Party will return to the front of the stage and they will hear from us."


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