Professor Arie Eldad: Netanyahu's Strategy Against Ofer Winter is a Major Mistake
Translated & summarized from Maariv by baba
Professor Arie Eldad believes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a strategic error by opposing Ofer Winter's "Am Israel" party, which could be key to forming a government. Eldad argues Winter's party offers a right-wing alternative for disillusioned voters, contrasting Winter's stance with Netanyahu's past policies. He suggests Netanyahu's campaign against Winter could backfire, potentially costing him crucial votes needed for a coalition, and that the President has discretion in choosing who forms the government.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Professor Arie Eldad criticizes Netanyahu's campaign against Ofer Winter's "Am Israel" party.
- Eldad suggests "Am Israel" could be crucial for Netanyahu to form a government coalition.
- He contrasts Winter's military stance against Hamas with Netanyahu's past political actions.
- Eldad believes the campaign against Winter could become a self-fulfilling prophecy.
- The article suggests right-wing voters disillusioned with current parties have an alternative in "Am Israel."
- The President has discretion in choosing who is tasked with forming a government.
Professor Arie Eldad argues that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is making a significant strategic error by campaigning against Ofer Winter, a candidate whose party, "Am Israel," might be crucial for Netanyahu to form a government. Eldad believes that if "Am Israel" successfully passes the electoral threshold, it could provide Netanyahu with the necessary support to form a coalition, especially if optimistic polls favoring Likud materialize. He criticizes the narrative that Winter's party will not pass the blocking percentage, suggesting it could become a self-fulfilling prophecy and alienate potential right-wing voters.
Eldad contrasts Winter's stance with that of Netanyahu, who he claims publicly supported a Palestinian state and voted for the disengagement, while Winter's only connection to Hamas was through military action. He also addresses the perceived left-wing bloc, suggesting that figures like Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, and Avigdor Lieberman, despite claiming to be right-wing or center-right, would likely form a government with Yair Golan and potentially rely on support from the Arab parties Ra'am and The Joint List.
For voters disillusioned with the current right-wing parties but unwilling to support a left-wing government dependent on Arab votes, Eldad suggests "Am Israel" as an alternative. He urges these voters to prove Netanyahu and his allies wrong, demonstrating that the campaign against Winter was not only politically misguided but also a false prophecy. Eldad emphasizes that the decision of who to task with forming a government ultimately rests with the President, who typically chooses the candidate believed to have the best chance of success, not necessarily the leader of the largest party.
Eldad notes that while Netanyahu and Eisenkot both aim for their parties to be the largest, the Basic Law "The Government" allows the President discretion in selecting the candidate to form a government. He recalls past instances, like Tzipi Livni's attempt to form a government, to illustrate the complexities of coalition building. Eldad concludes that Netanyahu's opposition to Winter could inadvertently harm his own chances of forming a government, especially if Winter's votes are lost to the right-wing bloc.
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