Journalist Netali Shem Tov Expected to Join Ofer Winter's Party

If no last-minute changes occur, journalist and news anchor Netali Shem Tov is expected to join Ofer Winter's party, which will be launched the day after tomorrow (Tuesday), according to political sources. Shem Tov had also received offers from Likud and Gilad Erdan before he announced the establishment of his new party with Yuli Edelstein. She is currently on vacation and could not be reached for comment.

This week, Winter will launch his party, which is expected to feature advocacy activist Yoseph Haddad as number 2, alongside Lali Deri, a woman from the religious Zionist sector who lost her son, Saadia Deri, during the war in Gaza. Deri previously ran in the Likud primaries.

Winter's new party joins other initiatives established ahead of the 2026 elections, alongside those of Erdan, and the party of Chili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel. Winter is currently sharing videos on social media and holding parlor meetings. He is expected to prefer a government led by Benjamin Netanyahu. He refused to unite with Bezalel Smotrich or Itamar Ben Gvir and rejected a reserved spot in Likud, arguing that a new party is the only way to bring back right-wing voters disappointed with the coalition.

Against the backdrop of difficulties in a renewed union between Smotrich and Ben Gvir, Netanyahu's circle fears that Winter's party will jeopardize the ability of religious Zionism to pass the electoral threshold. Three weeks before the closing of the election lists, Netanyahu is expected to begin organizing the bloc under his leadership. Beyond Winter, he must find solutions for several other party fragments, including those of Avi Maoz and Moshe Feiglin, to prevent the loss of votes.

Within the change bloc, there is also fear regarding the multitude of centrist parties: the party of Tropper and Hendel will struggle to safely pass the electoral threshold, partly because Erdan, Benny Gantz, and Dadi Simhi (who is simultaneously negotiating with Shaked) are competing for the same votes. Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot understand that organizing the blocs is a central component of victory, as they must prevent the loss of votes below the threshold. It seems both have significant challenges and little time to resolve them.

On behalf of Winter, it was stated:

"Patience."