Finance Minister Smotrich Warns Ofer Winter's Candidacy Risks Right-Wing Bloc

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich issued a stark warning on Sunday regarding the potential damage to the right-wing bloc posed by Ofer Winter's independent political run. Smotrich accused the media of creating a false impression to engineer a loss of mandates for the right.

Speaking on Radio Galai Israel, Smotrich revealed he had attempted to dissuade Winter, a decorated officer, from running separately. "I acted responsibly and went for a technical bloc with Feiglin. I urged Winter, he's great, he's a decorated officer, I have nothing against him, but I urged him: Come, don't take delusional risks."

Smotrich expressed strong conviction that Winter's new list has no electoral viability. "I'm telling you, there is absolutely no chance in the world he will pass the electoral threshold. Watch how the left-wing media is inflating him in the polls now so we think he'll pass the threshold, so he burns two or three mandates and because of that, the right will lose power."

Smotrich concluded by identifying this scenario as the greatest danger facing the upcoming elections.