Netanyahu Reveals Secret Meeting With Ofer Winter, Urges Him to Join Likud

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed in a television interview on Sunday that he met with former IDF general Ofer Winter several weeks ago and offered him a position within the Likud party. Netanyahu expressed concern that Winter's decision to run independently with his new "Am Israel" party could "burn votes" on the right and potentially harm the bloc's electoral prospects.

During the interview on "Patriots" with Yaron Magal, Netanyahu stated that he presented Winter with two options: join Likud and be welcomed, or run separately. "He chose to go separately, and we are currently, in my opinion, in danger," Netanyahu said, drawing parallels to the potential for vote fragmentation that could benefit opposition parties.

Netanyahu also addressed Winter's pledge to support him as prime minister, but cautioned against the phrasing. "Winter said he would support me, that's fine and that's right, but he added 'but,' and 'but' is an escape route," the prime minister explained. He contrasted this with the commitments made by Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich, who he said do not include such conditional support.

Recalling the 2021 elections, Netanyahu referenced Naftali Bennett's pre-election pledge not to form a government with the left, a promise he later broke. Netanyahu urged for dialogue to prevent vote loss within the right-wing camp, noting that Winter's support base appears to be exclusively from the right.

The interview comes amid heightened political tensions and Netanyahu's ongoing efforts to consolidate the right-wing vote ahead of the elections. Recently, Netanyahu called for a merger between Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and Smotrich's Religious Zionism, a move that led to public disputes, with Ben-Gvir accusing Netanyahu of trying to weaken his party.