Smotrich Offers Winter Ministerial Post to Quit Election Race
Translated & summarized from Davar by baba
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich offered candidate Ofer Winter a ministerial role and administrative initiatives if he withdraws from the election race, six days before the vote. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also publicly urged Winter to quit, citing concerns about endangering the right-wing bloc and potentially leading to a left-wing government. Most polls indicate Winter's party will pass the electoral threshold, contrary to claims made by Netanyahu and Smotrich. The article also mentions alleged pressure tactics against candidates from Winter's party.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Bezalel Smotrich offered Ofer Winter a ministerial post to withdraw from the election race.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu also urged Winter to quit, warning of a left-wing government.
- Winter and his party's number two, Yosef Haddad, are determined to continue their campaign.
- Most polls show Winter's party passing the electoral threshold, contradicting claims.
- Candidates from Winter's party have allegedly faced harassment to pressure them to withdraw.
With six days remaining until the elections, pressure is mounting on candidate Ofer Winter from the Netanyahu bloc. Finance Minister and Jewish Home party chairman Bezalel Smotrich offered Winter a ministerial position in the Defense Ministry, at the expense of a ministerial role promised to his party, along with the establishment of a voluntary immigration administration and a Haredi administration for recruitment and employment integration. This offer is contingent on Winter withdrawing from the electoral race.
Smotrich also stated that the two proposed administrations are initiatives the current government had already committed to advancing, and the ministerial role in the Defense Ministry was created by the current government. Smotrich urged Winter to withdraw, arguing that votes lost below the electoral threshold would determine the election's outcome and could lead to a "left-wing government" and "national disasters," referencing the 1992 elections and the subsequent Oslo Accords.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also publicly urged Winter to withdraw, stating that Winter was not passing the electoral threshold in most polls and had promised to act responsibly if he endangered the right-wing bloc. Netanyahu claimed Winter's withdrawal would prevent a "dangerous left-wing government" led by figures like Gantz, Ya'alon, and Lieberman.
However, the article notes that most polls show Winter surpassing the electoral threshold, with the exception of specific polls for Channel 14, which also consistently show the Likud receiving significantly more mandates than other surveys. Smotrich and Netanyahu have also reportedly been in talks with the Haredi Public party and the Noam party to encourage their withdrawal in exchange for positions.
Winter and his party's number two, Yosef Haddad, have expressed determination to continue their campaign. The article also details recent alleged harassment and pressure tactics against candidates from Winter's "Am Israel" party, including signs posted near the home of Dovidian Ben Zion and outside the home of Lili Darai, urging them to withdraw. Ben Zion did withdraw following such pressure.
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