IDF General Tells Filmmaker He Has 'Nothing to Return To'

Brigadier General Of er Winter, a senior IDF officer, harshly criticized filmmaker Yuval Avraham at a "Am Yisrael" party conference in Rishon LeZion on Tuesday, August 25, 2026. Winter told Avraham, who he understood was afraid to return to Israel, "You are right. You have nothing to return to. Indeed, it is a disgrace and a shame to return after spitting in the face of your people."

Winter added that he would have liked to meet Avraham privately, without cameras or phones, to explain how ungrateful he was. He accused Avraham of potentially betraying him to antisemites for applause.

The general also addressed Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, stating that Lieberman was misleading his voters by promising a decisive victory for the right. Winter argued that Lieberman could not achieve this goal if he relied on senior partners like Yair Golan in government, as such alliances would prevent a decisive outcome.

Winter warned that if the "Am Yisrael" party did not gain public support, Israelis would face "the smug face of Yair Golan," whom Winter accused of calling him a "messianic" and unworthy individual for reciting the Shema prayer before a battle in Gaza. Winter concluded that those who do not vote for "Am Yisrael" would find Golan and Gabi Lasky in positions of influence, which he deemed dangerous.