Likud Renews Attacks on Ofer Winter Over Hesitation to Back Netanyahu
Likud intensified its attacks on Amcha Yisrael leader Ofer Winter after he questioned his initial pledge to back Benjamin Netanyahu, as pressure mounts for him to withdraw from the race.
The Likud party launched a fresh attack on Wednesday against Ofer Winter, leader of the Amcha Yisrael party, following an interview with Channel 12 where he expressed doubts about his initial campaign promise to recommend only Benjamin Netanyahu for the next government. Winter stressed that he belongs to the national camp and has no intention of defecting to the rival camp, despite the attacks against him. However, Likud was quick to claim that his remarks indicate a potential diversion of right-wing votes to a government led by Netanyahu's political opponents. The attack comes amid ongoing efforts by the Prime Minister and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to pressure Winter into withdrawing from the race.
"I am a man of truth and part of the national camp. Even if they slander us, I am not going to say now that I am crossing to the other side," Winter said in the interview. Addressing his initial campaign pledge, he added, "Sometimes I weigh whether it is right or wrong, but it is irrelevant." He later admitted, "Perhaps it was a mistake to declare from the beginning that we would recommend Netanyahu." Likud responded sharply, stating: "Winter reveals the truth and says 'it was a mistake to declare at the start of the campaign that we would recommend only Netanyahu.'" The party further claimed that Winter, much like Bennett, would take right-wing votes and hand them over to a left-wing government led by Eisenkot, Yair Golan, Lieberman, Bennett, and the Arab parties.
The new political confrontation unfolds just a day after Netanyahu and Smotrich visited the home of Rabbi Eli Sadan, one of Winter's spiritual mentors, in an attempt to convince him to persuade his pupil to drop out of the Knesset race. During the meeting, which lasted over an hour, the two presented internal polls showing that the Amcha Yisrael party is not projected to clear the electoral threshold. Smotrich's associates claimed the rabbi was convinced by the data, though he expressed doubt regarding his ability to influence Winter. Winter responded angrily in a video, accusing Netanyahu and Smotrich of exerting pressure and running an unfair campaign against him. Smotrich countered with a selfie video of his own, urging Winter to step aside and warning that his independent run threatens the right-wing bloc's majority. Meanwhile, Likud and Religious Zionism continue their intensive campaign to secure every right-wing vote ahead of the upcoming elections.
