Likud Divided on Strategy Against Ofer Winter's New Party

The Likud party's campaign committee held a discussion regarding how to approach the new "Am Israel" party led by Ofer Winter, ahead of upcoming elections. Two opposing viewpoints emerged during the meeting, as reported by Channel 14 News. One faction urged an immediate offensive against Winter, fearing he could pose a challenge to Likud and the right-wing bloc. The other faction warned that an early attack might backfire and harm the party.

Minister Shlomo Karai adopted a strong stance against Winter, stating, "Winter is the hope of Kaplan." He argued that Likud could be harmed regardless of Winter's electoral success: "If he wins and passes the threshold, he's with the left; if he doesn't pass, he burns our votes." Minister Ze'ev Elkin also weighed in, referencing a report that Sharon Shalom was at Winter's campaign headquarters. Elkin suggested that Shalom's presence indicated a strong alignment with Avigdor Lieberman.

Yakov Bardugo advocated for confronting Winter without delay, unlike the approach taken with Naftali Bennett in the past. "If we decide to take him down, it must be now, not wait until the last minute like with Bennett and let him gain momentum. We need to start now," he said.

Conversely, Erez Tzedmor cautioned against an immediate attack, suggesting Winter might attract voters who currently do not vote for Likud. "Winter can bring votes from the other side. We need to check very carefully that we are not making a mistake here," Tzedmor stated. He differentiated Winter from Bennett, calling Bennett "scum" but describing Winter as potentially "megalomaniacal and stubborn, but not scum." Tzedmor questioned, "Maybe he is good for us? He will bring votes from those who don't want to vote for us, so maybe we shouldn't attack him."

Elkin countered that if Winter's goal was to attract voters from the rival camp, he would not have declared his intention to recommend Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister. Tzedmor replied that Winter said this because they pressured him. Elkin then focused on Winter's specific wording, noting that Winter said he would "recommend Netanyahu for president," not that he wouldn't sit in a government that wasn't led by Netanyahu. Tzedmor conceded this point, suggesting Winter was softening his message. Elkin remained unconvinced, calling it a "clever statement that doesn't lock him in."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu concluded the discussion without making a decision, stating, "I will check this and give you a quick answer later."