Rabbis Urge Ofer Winter to Unite with Religious Zionism Party

Dozens of rabbis from the Religious Zionist sector have issued an urgent appeal to retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter, urging him to unite with a right-wing party ahead of the deadline for submitting Knesset lists. The appeal, sent just one day before the submission deadline for the 26th Knesset elections, calls on Winter to "take responsibility and act promptly to continue the important work of the Religious Zionism party chairman, Minister Bezalel Smotrich, for unity on the right."

The rabbis emphasized the importance of unity, stating, "Unity is always good, and certainly when great dangers lie ahead for all of Israel. Ofer, better safe than sorry. We must not take risks when it concerns all of Israel." Prominent signatories include Rabbi David Fendel, head of the Sderot Hesder Yeshiva, and Rabbi Yehuda Sadon, head of the Eli High Yeshiva.

Winter has reportedly faced significant pressure over the past week to merge with a right-wing party. The goal of these efforts is to prevent a scenario where either Winter or Smotrich's Religious Zionism party fails to cross the electoral threshold, thereby losing potential mandates for the right-wing bloc. As of the report, Winter has not yet responded to the calls for unification, with the deadline for list submissions looming.