Israel Beiteinu Predicts Ofer Vinter Will Join Lieberman

Member of Knesset Yulia Malinovsky of the Israel Beiteinu party has claimed that Ofer Vinter, chairman of the Am Israel party, will ultimately align with her party leader, Avigdor Lieberman, despite Vinter's public statements. Malinovsky characterized Vinter as a "political novice" and suggested he was misleading the public regarding his political intentions, particularly concerning the contentious issue of drafting ultra-Orthodox men into the military, a central theme in the current election campaign. She expressed confidence that "at the critical moment," Vinter would choose the "right side" and join Lieberman, asserting that only Lieberman could ensure progress on the conscription issue. An Am Israel representative, attorney Eran Ben Ari, rejected Malinovsky's assertion, calling it a "lie" and pointing out that Lieberman had not advanced this issue when he served as Defense Minister.

Malinovsky reiterated her prediction in a social media post, calling Vinter a "highly regarded person and a top-tier military man" but still a "political novice." She questioned how he would manage to draft Haredim in a government with figures like Goldkopf and Der'i, concluding that he would eventually join Lieberman. This attempt by Israel Beiteinu to associate Vinter with their political bloc follows an interview Vinter gave where he refuted interpretations that he would join Lieberman under any circumstances. Vinter stated, "If we repeat a lie twenty times, it suddenly becomes truth? It is not truth. All these nonsensical things are not truth."

Vinter himself issued a clarification, vowing not to serve under Lieberman, Gadi Eisenkot, or Naftali Bennett, and stated, "I will not do a Bennett move. I will not say one thing and do another. I will not serve under Eisenkot, not under Bennett, and not under Lieberman. Repeating a lie twenty times does not make it truth." Vinter also revealed his political ambition to become Defense Minister, explaining that his decision to enter politics stemmed from attempts to influence security doctrine from within the system. He emphasized the need to change the prevailing perception that Israeli soldiers are subordinate to enemy civilians and called for a shift away from accommodating and regulatory approaches to security. Vinter concluded with a strong message, stating, "I want to see generals stomping their feet like in the Six-Day War."