Ofer Winter Rules Out Serving Under Gadi Eisenkot, Cites Ideological Divide
Translated & summarized from i24NEWS by baba
Ofer Winter, chairman of Amcha Yisrael, declared he would not serve under Gadi Eisenkot due to deep ideological differences, criticizing Eisenkot's past policies. Winter also claimed a campaign exists to prevent his party from passing the electoral threshold and rejected an offer from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to withdraw from the race. He believes his party offers a distinct right-wing approach focused on decisive action, contrasting with current policies he deems ineffective and lacking deterrence.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Ofer Winter stated he would not serve under Gadi Eisenkot due to a "huge ideological abyss."
- Winter believes a campaign is underway to prevent his party, Amcha Yisrael, from passing the electoral threshold.
- He rejected an offer from Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to withdraw from the race for a senior role.
- Winter criticized current Israeli policy, stating "deterrence does not exist" and advocating for decisive action.
- He claimed 13% of the public wants to vote for his party, despite lower poll numbers.
Ofer Winter, chairman of the Amcha Yisrael party, stated in an interview with "Weekend" that his party is firmly rooted in the right-wing camp and he has no intention of joining a government led by Gadi Eisenkot. Three days before the elections, Winter was asked if he might be the one to cause the right-wing bloc to fail, to which he responded, "Heaven forbid." He emphasized that his party has always been part of the national camp and that external attacks do not sway his positions. Winter explicitly stated he would not serve under Eisenkot, citing a "huge ideological abyss" between them, and criticized Eisenkot for leading "containment" and "regulation" policies and for diminishing the military.
Winter also claimed that a campaign was launched against his party immediately after its formation, aiming to prevent it from crossing the electoral threshold. He asserted that the strategy was to "crush Amcha Yisrael" to eliminate hope for an alternative path in Israel. He believes his party has a broader support base than polls indicate, estimating that "13% of the public wants to vote for the party," representing hundreds of thousands. Despite current poll numbers, Winter expressed no disappointment, suggesting the party could still surprise voters and that the public is tired of being misled.
Regarding a video where Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich offered him a senior ministerial position in exchange for withdrawing from the race to avoid endangering the right-wing bloc, Winter rejected the proposal. He urged those satisfied with the past four years' outcomes to vote for Smotrich instead of him, stating he offers a "different, value-based right-wing, that doesn't tarnish, that respects, that knows how to unite the people of Israel, but also comes to decide."
Winter also addressed a recent attack, calling it a symptom of a larger issue. He argued that Israel has been in a "war for three years without a decision," which the enemy understands, leading to a "lack of deterrence." He criticized allowing hundreds of trucks into Gaza and the rebuilding of the Strip, claiming it allows Hamas to recover. Winter advocates for a policy of "initiative and decision" rather than continuing the policy of containment. At the end of the interview, Winter and Eisenkot met in the studio, where Winter reiterated his personal respect for Eisenkot, and they shared a hug.
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