Yoaz Hendel Urges Ofer Vinter to Reject Netanyahu, Form Zionist Bloc

Yoaz Hendel, chairman of the Reservists and Economic Party, called on Ofer Vinter on Thursday to retract his commitment to forming a government with Benjamin Netanyahu and the Haredi parties. Hendel proposed that their parties sign a surplus agreement and declare they would only join a "Zionist government," excluding both Haredi and Arab parties, to create a "blocking bloc against non-Zionist governments."

Speaking to the press, Hendel stated that three years after a "heavy disaster" and amidst the most difficult war since the state's founding, politics should not continue as if nothing has happened. He argued that the public must choose between two "non-Zionist governments": one with Haredi parties or one relying on Arab parties. He asserted that governments dependent on non-Zionist parties are "blackmailed into making non-Zionist decisions."

Hendel directly addressed Vinter, urging him to abandon his allegiance to Netanyahu and the Haredi parties. "With Haredi parties, you cannot win on the battlefield. You cannot stand up to the missions on the front. We need more soldiers. With Goldknopf, with whom you declared you would sit, there is no chance for conscription for all," Hendel stated. He appealed to reservists, calling them natural partners over Haredi parties.

Hendel concluded by inviting Vinter to join his initiative: "Let's sign a surplus agreement and declare together that we are two parties that will enter only a Zionist government. Together we will be a blocking bloc against non-Zionist governments and coalitions with Haredi or Arab parties. Get out of the concept and help us decide on the battlefield."

Meanwhile, Vinter participated in a conference at Reichman University where he symbolically tore up the Oslo Accords. He declared, "There is no Palestinian people, it's a lie. There is no Palestinian state. The entire purpose of the idea is the destruction of the State of Israel. It's time to wake up." He added, "Never, ever, will a Palestinian state be established here! The moment the enemy finally understands that it can never realize its aspiration to destroy us, here, the decision begins. Therefore, it is time to say - the Oslo Accords do not exist. The vision of destroying the State of Israel is over."