Samaria Official Explains Departure From Vinter's Party

David Ben Zion, Deputy Head of the Samaria Regional Council, has spoken for the first time at length about his decision to leave the "Am Israel" party led by Ofer Vinter, about a week after announcing his departure. Ben Zion stated in an interview that circumstances made his continued involvement "not relevant" and that he felt his remaining in the party would be unhelpful. He explained that the possibility of votes being wasted due to the party failing to pass the electoral threshold was a significant factor in his decision. "Politics is a practical event. I am a doer who comes to serve. If I, as someone entrusted, feel there is doubt whether I can fulfill this path and these values, and the blocking percentage is part of the parameters that create this question mark, then I cannot take responsibility for that," he said.

Ben Zion admitted that his initial assessment of the party's public support was too optimistic. He cited a campaign against the party as a factor that surprised him, stating, "I assumed we would easily be in a much, much higher place, because I probably did not estimate the campaign that was waged against us. I didn't think it would be such stormy weather." He also addressed political pressures and signs displayed against him in his hometown, acknowledging that public figures entering politics must anticipate such phenomena. "He who goes out into the rain without an umbrella should not be surprised that he gets wet. This is the political game, one must accept it, and it is part of the field," he remarked.

However, Ben Zion noted that the negative campaign also affected his family, particularly his wife, who received comments and questions at her workplace. "My wife on the most private level goes to a workplace and receives comments and questions, not from her employers, I mean from friends or colleagues and so on, so it creates an uncomfortable feeling, it's natural," he shared. When asked if Ofer Vinter should also resign, Ben Zion stated that his role was to take responsibility for himself and that Vinter, as a serious individual, would make his own decisions.