Am Israel Party Leaders Reject Calls to Withdraw from Election Race
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Ofer Winter, chairman of the Am Israel party, and Yosef Haddad, second on the list, have rejected reports and pressure to withdraw from the upcoming Knesset elections. Despite low poll numbers and the resignation of another party member, the leaders stated they are ideologically committed and will continue their campaign. Haddad specifically denied allegations of negotiations with the Likud party offering him a ministerial post in exchange for withdrawal.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Am Israel party leaders Ofer Winter and Yosef Haddad refuse to withdraw from the Knesset election race.
- The party faces pressure due to low poll numbers and concerns about wasting right-wing votes.
- Yosef Haddad denied reports of Likud offering him a ministerial position for withdrawal.
- Doviden Ben Zion, eighth on the list, resigned citing concerns over wasted votes.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich urged Winter to show responsibility.
Two weeks before the Knesset elections, the chairman of the Am Israel party, Ofer Winter, is facing increasing pressure to withdraw his candidacy due to concerns that his party will not pass the electoral threshold and will waste right-wing votes. A recent News 14 poll showed the party with only 2.7% support, with 48% of respondents believing Winter should drop out. The pressure intensified after Doviden Ben Zion, who was eighth on the party's list, announced his resignation on Tuesday, warning Winter against "wasting votes." Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich welcomed Ben Zion's decision and urged Winter to show responsibility.
Winter himself had previously stated in September that he would "responsibly consider his steps" if the party failed to pass the threshold. However, he later shifted his stance, declaring in an interview that his party would run until the end, regardless of poll results. Now, in a joint video with Winter, Yosef Haddad, who is second on the list, addressed reports of alleged negotiations with the Likud party. Haddad read a query about publications claiming that Likud was in contact with him to dismantle the Am Israel party, offering him the position of Minister of Information in exchange for withdrawing his candidacy along with Winter.
Haddad vehemently denied these claims, stating, "I am not withdrawing, I am not accepting anything. We are ideologues, principled, we have always said so. We are Am Israel, continuing with all our might." He emphasized that the voters would decide the party's fate. Winter echoed these sentiments, sending a clear message to those anticipating his withdrawal: "Listen carefully, we have seen all these promises and signatures, empty talk," he said, using an Arabic phrase meaning "empty words." He added, "When I promise, I deliver. We will fight until the end."
Haddad had previously revealed in an interview last week that individuals close to Netanyahu had offered him a spot in the top ten of the Likud list and the position of Minister of Information in the past, but he chose to run with Winter. Despite the growing pressure and Ben Zion's departure, both Winter and Haddad have affirmed their intention to continue their electoral bid for now.
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