Religious Leaders' Offer to Ofer Winther for Government Roles Rejected
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Three prominent Religious Zionist rabbis met with Ofer Winther, chairman of the 'Am Yisrael' party, to offer him government positions in exchange for withdrawing from the Knesset elections. Winther rejected the offer, citing internal polls showing his party will pass the electoral threshold and that his supporters may not vote for other right-wing parties if he withdraws. The rabbis were concerned his candidacy would harm the right-wing bloc.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Three prominent rabbis offered Ofer Winther government roles for withdrawing from Knesset elections.
- Winther rejected the offer, citing internal polls showing his party will pass the electoral threshold.
- The rabbis feared Winther's party would take votes from the right-wing bloc.
- Winther argued his supporters might not vote for other right-wing parties if he withdrew.
- The meeting aimed to prevent Winther's party from potentially harming the right-wing electoral prospects.
Three prominent rabbis of the Religious Zionist movement met with retired Major General Ofer Winther, chairman of the 'Am Yisrael' party, on Thursday in an attempt to persuade him to withdraw from the upcoming Knesset elections. During the hour-long meeting, the rabbis proposed securing a signed commitment from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, guaranteeing Winther positions and responsibilities in the next government in exchange for his party's withdrawal from the race.
The rabbis, including Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, head of Mercaz HaRav Yeshiva, Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, Rabbi of Safed, and Rabbi Eitan Izman, expressed concern that Winther's party would not pass the electoral threshold and would thus siphon votes from the right-wing bloc. They aimed to convince him that his continued candidacy could harm the right's electoral prospects.
However, Winther rejected the proposal, stating that his party is performing well in internal polls and is expected to surpass the electoral threshold. He explained that many of his supporters are not traditional right-wing voters and their votes might shift to opposition parties if he were to withdraw, rather than to parties within the right-wing bloc. Winther asserted his intention to continue his candidacy until election day.
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