Rabbi Backs Winter, Citing Need for Right-Wing Government
Translated & summarized from Vesty by baba
Rabbi Eliyahu Sadan stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs Ofer Winter's Amcha Israel party to cross the electoral threshold to form a right-wing government. The remarks came two days before the Knesset elections, amid reported pressure from Netanyahu and Bezalel Smotrich on Winter to withdraw. Winter had previously criticized these efforts, while Smotrich accused Winter of boycotting him and attacking political allies. Most polls suggest Amcha Israel will narrowly miss the threshold, though some predict it will win four seats.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Rabbi Eliyahu Sadan believes Ofer Winter's party must pass the threshold for Netanyahu to form a right-wing government.
- Netanyahu and Bezalel Smotrich reportedly pressured Winter to withdraw from the election race.
- Ofer Winter criticized Netanyahu and Smotrich for attempting to remove him from the election.
- Bezalel Smotrich accused Winter of boycotting him and attacking political allies.
- Most pre-election polls indicated Winter's Amcha Israel party would not cross the electoral threshold.
- Two polls predicted Winter's party would win four seats in the Knesset.
Rabbi Eliyahu Sadan, head of pre-military preparatory courses in the Binyamin region and considered the spiritual mentor of Amcha Israel party leader Ofer Winter, stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can only form a complete right-wing government if Winter's party crosses the electoral threshold. An audio recording of Sadan's remarks was distributed on Sunday, October 25, two days before the Knesset elections.
Sadan clarified that he had initially considered remaining silent but was prompted to speak out after seeing publications falsely claiming he urged people not to vote for Winter. "This is not true. I certainly did not say anything like that. I wish Ofer Winter to overcome the barrier so that Netanyahu has the opportunity to create a truly right-wing government," Sadan said.
Earlier, on October 20, Netanyahu and Religious Zionism party leader Bezalel Smotrich visited the settlement of Eli, where Sadan's "Bnei David" pre-military courses operate. They reportedly met with Sadan in an attempt to pressure Winter into withdrawing from the election race. In response, Winter released a video on the same day, criticizing Netanyahu and Smotrich for trying to remove him from the competition through Sadan.
Smotrich, on October 21, responded to Winter's criticism, stating that Winter had refused to meet or speak with him for six months, despite belonging to the same political camp. "It's a shame we communicate through videos. You have been boycotting me for half a year, refusing to meet, refusing to talk. We are on the same side," Smotrich said. He also accused Winter's Amcha Israel campaign of contradicting its own call to focus on strengths rather than attacking others, asserting that Winter's campaign was "trampling" on the Prime Minister and himself.
On October 15, Winter had stated at a conference that he would hold Netanyahu responsible if Amcha Israel failed to cross the electoral threshold, emphasizing that Netanyahu was "firing on us" despite them being a right-wing party. Polls conducted before the elections generally indicated that Amcha Israel would not cross the threshold, though some showed it close. Only two polls, from i24NEWS and Channel 16, predicted four mandates for Winter's party in the upcoming Knesset.
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