Reserve Brigadier General Ofer Winter’s New Party Could Win Four Knesset Seats, Impacting Right-Wing Bloc

A comprehensive poll published by Israel Hayom explores a dramatic political scenario in which Reserve Brigadier General Ofer Winter launches a new party and runs for the Knesset. According to this scenario, Winter’s party would surpass the electoral threshold and secure four seats in the upcoming elections. His entry into the race would directly affect right-wing parties: Likud would drop from 22 to 21 seats, Otzma Yehudit would fall from 9 to 7 seats, and Religious Zionism would decrease from 5 to 4 seats. Other parties and the overall bloc distribution would remain unchanged.

In the main poll scenario without Winter’s candidacy, the Yashar party leads with 23 seats, followed closely by Likud with 22 seats. The third place is held by the Beyachad party with 13 seats, while Israel Beytenu and the Democrats each receive 10 seats. Otzma Yehudit stands at 9 seats, with United Torah Judaism and the Joint List each at 8 seats. Shas holds 7 seats, and both Religious Zionism and Ra’am have 5 seats each.

The poll also highlights a significant setback for the opposition bloc, which holds 56 seats compared to the coalition’s 51 seats, with Arab parties controlling 13 seats. Parties such as Zehut, Blue and White, and the Unity Party remain below the electoral threshold. The findings underscore the potential influence of Winter’s new party on the right-wing political landscape ahead of the elections.