Defeated Ex-General Vows to Stay in Politics After Election Flop
Translated & summarized from Kikar HaShabbat by baba
Ofer Winter, chairman of the Amcha Israel party, vowed to remain in politics after his party failed to pass the electoral threshold in the recent Knesset elections. Winter rejected claims his party wasted votes from the national camp, stating they took votes from the opposition instead. He attributed the poor results to negative campaigns from within the national camp and rejected pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich to withdraw. Despite the setback, Winter stated his movement would continue its political efforts.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Ofer Winter will continue in politics despite his party failing to pass the electoral threshold.
- Winter claims his party took votes from the opposition, not the national camp.
- He blamed internal national camp campaigns for his party's election failure.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Smotrich pressured Winter to withdraw.
- Winter rejected offers of a ministerial position in exchange for dropping out.
Brigadier General (res.) Ofer Winter, chairman of the Amcha Israel party, has stated he will not leave the political arena despite his party failing to pass the electoral threshold in the 26th Knesset elections. Addressing activists, Winter declared, "We are here for the long haul, the journey has just begun." He countered claims that his party "burned votes" from the national camp, asserting instead that they "burned votes from opposition parties, or those who didn't want to vote at all."
Winter blamed what he called "ugly campaigns" from within the national camp for his party's poor showing, suggesting that without these attacks, "we would now have a strong right-wing government." He alluded to intense pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who urged him to withdraw his candidacy due to fears of vote wastage. Smotrich even offered Winter a ministerial position in the Defense Ministry, with full authority over immigration from Gaza and Haredi enlistment, in exchange for dropping out.
Netanyahu also publicly called for Winter to withdraw, citing poll results showing the party below the threshold. However, Winter rejected all pressure, previously stating that he and his candidates faced harassment and private investigators after asserting their party deserved more. He emphasized their goal was "to change and lead a path," not to seek personal gain.
Attempts by Netanyahu to enlist senior rabbis to persuade Winter also failed. Rabbi Bneiahu Shmueli, Winter's teacher, refused to intervene in his student's political decisions. Rabbi David Abuchatzeira of Nahariya also declined to act against Winter, calling him "part of the wave of hope in the right-wing camp."
Despite the disappointing results in the exit polls, Winter concluded that his movement would continue its political activity.
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