Yoaz Hendel Urges Ofer Winter to Break Alliance with Netanyahu

Yoaz Hendel, leader of the reservists' party, called on Sunday for Ofer Winter to abandon his political alliance with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties, declaring his own faction to be a natural partner.

Speaking at the National Youth Conference at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem, Hendel stated: On Thursday, I called on Winter to drop the alliance with Netanyahu and the ultra-Orthodox parties. We are his natural partners. We need Winter by our side rather than as part of that bloc.

Hendel outlined his conditions for joining the next government. My condition is entering without non-Zionist or Arab parties. Anyone who does not serve, regardless of who they are or what they do, will not get a shekel from the state, he said. He added that decisions must be made by those who know what it means to receive a midnight phone call and who have paid a heavy price in this war.

Conditions for Future Coalition Partnerships

Hendel warned against societal disintegration, stating: I fear we will fracture into Arab autonomies without governance and with polygamy, alongside ultra-Orthodox shtetls where we are viewed as the government of infidels.

However, he clarified that partnerships with ultra-Orthodox parties could be possible if their attitude toward military service changes: If Yitzhak Goldknopf and his sons enlist in the army tomorrow, it is clear they can be my partners. He also stressed that Israel's Arab citizens should be encouraged to perform national service.

When asked what he would tackle in the first hundred days of a government, Hendel vowed: I promise to deal with ensuring that anyone who does not serve does not receive a single shekel.

Ofer Winter Responds to the Proposal

Ofer Winter addressed the proposal and his stance on Netanyahu. I heard Yoaz, I heard the offer. It is uncomfortable, but when you challenge me, it is a political campaign, Winter said. I am not saying yes or no to Hendel. I am not willing to go with Yair Golan, and Hendel has no problem with that.

Winter added that he still believes the prime minister understands his positions. I am not bought with a position or a budget. When I say I demand a decisive victory, migration, and real conscription, I know how to do it, he said. Nevertheless, he criticized Netanyahu's handling of the ultra-Orthodox parties, noting that the current government is bad for Israel.