Labor party chairman Avi Gabbay says his number one goal at the present time is winning the next election.
He made the comments in an interview with The Forward, which has yet to be published in full, but from which excerpts were quoted by Israel Hayom on Tuesday.
"If I have to decide between an ideological concept and a victory in the elections, I choose to win the elections," Gabbay was quoted as having said.
"It's nice to argue about the last issue you raised, but in the end, you have to win. If you do not win elections in Israel - you're nothing," he explained.
Gabbay told the interviewer, Jane Eisner, that the Labor party should start "talking Jewish," as he put it.
"I try to illuminate more positive aspects for many Israelis who see religion and tradition as an important issue in their lives. I believe in God. These are things that this party tries not to mention," he said.
A recent poll showed that the center-left bloc of which Gabbay is a member is strengthening, and if elections were to be held today, Binyamin Netanyahu would have trouble establishing a government.
That poll found that the left-center bloc would achieve 58 Knesset seats and the right-wing bloc would have 62. This means that Prime Minister Netanyahu could in principle form a new coalition, but will find it difficult to do so.
Gabbay last month caused a firestorm when he said he opposed evicting Judea and Samaria residents from their homes in the event of a future peace deal with the Palestinian Authority.
Last week, however, he expressed strong support for a two-state solution, saying, "I believe in a solution of two states for two peoples. I think it's the only solution. I don't know another solution. I believe we need to start negotiating.”