Netanyahu and Senior Rabbi Pressure Ofer Winter to Exit Knesset Race
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Rabbi Eli Sadan pressure Ofer Winter to withdraw from the Knesset race, warning that wasted right-wing votes could hand victory to the left.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and senior religious figures are increasing pressure on Ofer Winter, leader of the Amcha Yisrael Party, to withdraw from the upcoming Knesset elections amid concerns that right-wing votes will be wasted. A letter written by Rabbi Eli Sadan, head of the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli and one of Winter's most influential spiritual mentors, was made public on Channel 13, warning that wasted votes could hand power to the left-wing bloc.
According to the report, Sadan's wife read the letter at the academy, stating that the elections are critical for the survival of Israel and the settlement enterprise. The letter emphasized that if right-wing votes are cast for parties failing to clear the electoral threshold, the right might secure more individual votes while the left secures more mandates, leading to a severe national disaster.
Simultaneously, Netanyahu launched an intensive campaign aimed at persuading Winter to step down. In a video message published on X, Netanyahu addressed voters considering supporting Amcha Yisrael, asserting that the matter is national and existential rather than personal. Netanyahu warned that wasted votes benefit political rivals and adversaries in Tehran, Lebanon, and Gaza, urging the public to vote for Likud to secure a decisive victory.
Winter strongly criticized both Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, accusing them of lobbying rabbis to speak out against him and his party. Recent polls indicate that Amcha Yisrael is polling at 3%, hovering just below the 3.25% electoral threshold, leaving the governing coalition at 48 mandates while the opposition bloc reaches 54 mandates.
