Ofer Winter Sets Red Line for Netanyahu: No Government Without Draft Law

Ofer Winter, chairman of the "Am Israel" party, declared on Wednesday that his party will not join any government coalition unless a law ending draft evasion is passed beforehand. Winter stated that the issue of integrating the ultra-Orthodox into the IDF will be a central condition for any coalition negotiations, emphasizing that his party intends to achieve this integration "without compromises and without delays."

Winter also criticized what he termed "briefings, lies, and attempts to frighten the public," asserting that such tactics used by the "old politics" would not succeed. He positioned his party within the right-wing bloc but ruled out supporting figures like Naftali Bennett or Avigdor Lieberman, whom he accused of having previously allied with the "Muslim Brotherhood" and being willing to do so again.

Addressing potential political maneuvers, Winter commented on the possibility of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu offering a reserved spot on the Likud list to Yosef Haddad. Winter believes such a move would not cause division within his party, stating, "We will not allow anyone to drive a wedge between us. No one here is here for the chair."

Winter concluded his remarks by directly addressing the Israeli public and the Prime Minister, making his party's stance on the draft law unequivocally clear: "We will not enter a government that passes, before its establishment, a law that puts an end to draft evasion. Without this - we will not sit in a government. Period."