Ofer Winter Rejects Netanyahu's Warning, Cites Other Threats to Right-Wing Bloc

Ofer Winter, chairman of the "Am Israel" party, responded to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertion that Winter's party poses a danger to the right-wing bloc. Netanyahu had stated in an interview on Channel 14 that he had offered Winter a reserved spot in his Likud party, fearing that Winter's independent party might fall below the electoral threshold. Winter, however, rejected this, choosing to pursue a separate path.

Winter countered Netanyahu's concerns by identifying what he believes are the true threats to the right-wing bloc and the entire Israeli nation. He listed incendiary balloons from Gaza, the daily delivery of hundreds of aid trucks to the Strip, and the presence of thousands of Hamas operatives in Gaza and the West Bank as significant dangers. Winter also pointed to what he perceives as failures in military conscription, specifically the lack of struggle to integrate the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community into the IDF, and the insufficient support for those who fight.

Winter questioned the effectiveness of continuing with the same political approaches, asking, "Do you really think you will choose the same thing and get something different?" He proposed that genuine change within the right-wing camp and the nation requires new individuals who were not involved in the failures leading up to the October 7th attacks. Winter emphasized that his party is part of the right-wing movement but is accountable only to the people of Israel, not to any specific political leader or party.