Ofer Winter unveils his new party's candidate list
Reserve Brigadier General Ofer Winter has officially launched a new right-wing party. The list includes activist Yoseph Haddad, journalist Netali Shem Tov, Sigal Kraunik-Atiya, and several other public figures.
After much speculation, Reserve Brigadier General Ofer Winter has officially launched his new party, positioning it firmly on the right wing of the political spectrum. As previously reported, the list includes advocacy activist Yoseph Haddad as number 2, along with news presenter Netali Shem Tov. It was also confirmed that Lee Dery, who lost her son in the war in Gaza, has joined the movement.
Winter's list includes:
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Yoseph Haddad — advocacy activist.
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Netali Shem Tov — journalist and news presenter, evacuated from Metula at the start of the Iron Swords war.
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Sigal Kraunik-Atiya — widow of Be'eri security officer Arik (Aryeh) Kraunik, who fell on October 7.
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Eran Ben-Ari — lawyer, member of the National Council, and opposition leader in the Bar Association.
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Davidi Ben Zion — deputy and acting head of the Samaria Regional Council, major in the reserves.
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Eli Gino — Reserve Colonel and former commander of the Givati reconnaissance unit.
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Fleur Hassan-Nahoum — advocacy activist and former Deputy Mayor of Jerusalem.
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Ronen Bodenro — economist, formerly with the Ministry of Finance.
Haddad, who had registered his own party, is effectively merging with Winter while demanding three spots in the party's top ten. Unlike other new parties claiming to be "between the blocs," Winter is identified as a supporter of Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister and a staunch opponent of Gadi Eisenkot; therefore, his party is expected to align with the coalition bloc. Polls suggest that most of Winter's support comes from coalition voters.
In recent days, Winter has faced pressure from Netanyahu, who fears the party will "burn" votes for the coalition, potentially causing the Religious Zionism party to fall below the electoral threshold. With a union between Itamar Ben Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit and Bezalel Smotrich currently off the table, Netanyahu and Smotrich are warning against a dangerous split on the right. Conversely, Winter believes he is attracting "disillusioned coalition" voters who no longer wish to vote for Likud, Religious Zionism, or Otzma Yehudit, arguing that his party will bring them back to the right-wing fold.
