Likud Ignores Pleas From Ofer Vinter's Campaign to Halt Attacks

A senior Likud official revealed that the party has been receiving repeated requests from the campaign of retired Major General Ofer Vinter, who leads the "Am Yisrael" party, to cease public attacks against him. Vinter's campaign argues that most of their party's support comes from centrist and soft-right voters, not from the current coalition's base, and that Likud's attacks are indirectly harming their electoral prospects. They fear that potential voters hesitant about supporting Vinter might refrain from doing so if they perceive it as a wasted vote or part of internal right-wing infighting.

Despite these appeals, the Likud party has decided to maintain its aggressive stance against Vinter. The directive within Likud is to continue the sharp criticism, citing concerns that any vote for a party that might not pass the electoral threshold risks undermining the right-wing bloc and the formation of a stable right-wing government after the elections. Likud believes that even if some of Vinter's support comes from the center, it represents a competition for the same pool of votes that will determine the bloc's overall strength.

The Likud official emphasized that the party will not take risks, recalling past elections where smaller right-wing parties failed to cross the electoral threshold. The party's strategy is to consolidate votes within the right-wing bloc, viewing any potential loss of votes to smaller parties as a threat to their overall electoral goals.