Likud Divided Over Strategy Against Ofer Winter's Party

Internal controversy is brewing within the Likud party regarding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's directive to campaign against Ofer Winter's party, "Amcha Israel," aiming to weaken it. Some Likud insiders, as reported by journalist Anna Braski for Maariv, are concerned that this aggressive strategy could backfire, potentially harming Netanyahu's bloc more than benefiting Likud.

These dissenting voices estimate that Winter's party commands a solid base of approximately three parliamentary seats, which may not dissipate even under a harsh campaign. The primary concern is that an attack could push Winter's party below the electoral threshold, causing those votes to be lost rather than transferred to Likud.

To mitigate this risk, these Likud members propose an alternative strategy: forging a surplus agreement with Winter's party instead of attacking it. They believe this approach, coupled with securing surplus agreements for other right-wing factions, could be more beneficial for the bloc as a whole.

The report also touches upon the ongoing debate surrounding the surplus agreement Likud announced with the Smotrich-Feiglin list, which has not yet been finalized. The suggested reallocation of surplus agreements would see Likud partner with Winter, while the Smotrich-Feiglin list would align with Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit party, a division proponents argue would be more effective for the right-wing bloc.