Ofer Winter's New Party Bets on Israeli Public Diplomacy for Election Success

The new Israeli political party 'Amcha Israel,' led by Ofer Winter, is focusing on national public diplomacy as a key strategy to attract voters in the upcoming elections, according to a report by Anna Barsky in Maariv.

The party plans to launch a dedicated campaign centered around Yosef Haddad, who is ranked second on the party's list. This campaign, under the slogan 'The Time for Public Diplomacy Has Come,' will include extensive grassroots activities across the country.

'Amcha Israel' is placing Haddad at the forefront of this initiative, citing internal research suggesting broad consensus across the political spectrum for a functional government ministry of public diplomacy. The research also indicates significant support for Haddad's suitability for such a role. The party believes this platform can appeal to demographics beyond its natural right-wing base, particularly young people and protest voters.

The party's core message directly links effective international public diplomacy to national security. They argue that recent events have highlighted this connection, suggesting that failures in international public diplomacy have hindered Israel's ability to achieve decisive military outcomes in Gaza.

Sources close to Winter and Haddad express strong confidence in the campaign's success, calling it a 'political knockout' that their opponents will struggle to counter. They also note that several rival party leaders previously attempted to recruit Haddad, which they believe will make it difficult for them to attack him personally during the election campaign. The planned campaign will leverage Haddad's popularity on social media and in the public sphere, aligning with his stated goal of re-establishing the Ministry of Public Diplomacy and heading it.