Smotrich Accuses Rival Winter of Six Months of Silence
Translated & summarized from Mignews by baba
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Ofer Winter, head of "People of Israel," of six months of refusing political discussions. The conflict escalated as Winter refused to withdraw from the election, despite attempts by Netanyahu and Smotrich to persuade him. Winter claims the politicians used dishonest methods and will continue his campaign. Smotrich's party merged with "Zehut," while Netanyahu's allies fear Winter's candidacy will divide right-wing votes.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused Ofer Winter of refusing political talks for six months.
- The dispute intensified over Winter's refusal to withdraw from the election race.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu and Smotrich reportedly tried to convince Winter to drop out.
- Winter accused politicians of dishonest tactics and vowed to continue his campaign.
- Smotrich's party merged with Moshe Feiglin's "Zehut" party.
- Netanyahu's allies fear Winter's candidacy will fragment right-wing votes.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, leader of the Religious Zionism party, has accused Ofer Winter, head of the "People of Israel" organization, of refusing to meet or discuss political matters for the past six months. The public dispute intensified following Winter's refusal to withdraw from the upcoming election race. Smotrich stated in a video that Winter has been boycotting him and avoiding consultations. He also alleged that Winter has been engaged in a smear campaign against him and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Earlier, Netanyahu and Smotrich met with Rabbi Eli Sadan, Winter's spiritual mentor, reportedly to persuade Winter to withdraw his candidacy. However, Winter accused the politicians of using dishonest tactics and vowed to continue his campaign. Smotrich expressed regret that Winter did not agree to merge forces with his party before the deadline for submitting electoral lists. Smotrich himself has joined forces with Moshe Feiglin, leader of the "Zehut" party, a move that polls suggest will enable their joint list to overcome the electoral threshold.
Allies of Netanyahu are concerned that Winter's participation in the election could split votes within the right-wing camp.
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