Election Pact Dispute: Hendel, Zehlikha Claim Winter Sought Deal, He Denies
Translated & summarized from Mako by baba
Candidates Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zehlikha claim Ofer Winter refused their offer of a surplus election pact unless he committed to a Zionist-only coalition. Winter's party, Am Israel, denied the claim, calling it a "false spin." The deadline for such pacts is today, with several blocs already having finalized agreements. Itamar Ben-Gvir also stated he would not sign a pact with Winter.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zehlikha claim Ofer Winter rejected their surplus pact offer due to coalition conditions.
- Ofer Winter's party, Am Israel, denied the claims, calling them a "delusional and false spin."
- The deadline for parties to sign surplus election pacts is today.
- Several parties, including Likud, Haredi parties, and parts of the "Change bloc," have already signed pacts.
- Itamar Ben-Gvir stated he will not sign a surplus pact with Ofer Winter.
With the deadline for surplus election pacts looming, a dispute has erupted between candidates Yoaz Hendel and Yaron Zehlikha, and Ofer Winter. Hendel and Zehlikha claim they offered Winter a pact in exchange for his commitment to a Zionist-only coalition, an offer they say he refused. Winter's party, Am Israel, vehemently denied these claims, calling them a "delusional and false spin" from "old politics."
Hendel and Zehlikha stated that Winter had approached them seeking a pact to create a "blocking bloc against non-Zionist parties." However, they stipulated that he must commit to serving only in a Zionist government. According to their party, Winter refused this condition, leading them to decline the pact. They urged Winter to align with them rather than with the Haredi parties supporting Netanyahu.
Am Israel's statement countered that no such request was made and criticized Hendel and Zehlikha, referencing Hendel's past party switches and his role in a government with Mansour Abbas, and Zehlikha's support for Meretz. They accused the pair of hypocrisy and of attempting to lecture newcomers to politics.
Meanwhile, Itamar Ben-Gvir announced he would not sign a pact with Winter, whom he compared to Naftali Bennett. Yosef Haddad, number two in Winter's party, had previously urged Ben-Gvir to sign, warning of risks to the right-wing bloc if he didn't.
Several surplus pacts have already been finalized. The "Change bloc" parties, including Naftali Bennett's Yachad with Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu, and Gadi Eisenkot's Yishai with Yair Golan's Democrats, have signed agreements. The Joint List and Ra'am, the Likud and the Religious Zionism party, and the Haredi parties Shas and United Torah Judaism have also signed pacts. Parties that have not yet signed include Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, Winter's Am Israel, and Benny Gantz's Blue and White.
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