Natan Eshel Accuses Ofer Winter of Undermining Right-Wing Bloc Ahead of 2026 Elections

Natan Eshel, a close associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, sharply criticized Ofer Winter, accusing him of not being truly right-wing and aiming to weaken the right-wing political bloc. Eshel claimed Winter's party seeks to prevent Bezalel Smotrich from passing the electoral threshold, thereby toppling the right-wing alliance and enabling Avigdor Lieberman to form a coalition with Yair Lapid and Benny Gantz. Eshel also compared Winter to Lieberman, stating that those who have joined governments with Mansour Abbas and conceded to his demands are not genuinely right-wing.

Amid these tensions, senior Likud officials have reportedly urged Netanyahu to consider granting a secured spot on the party list to Yosef Hadad to prevent him from joining Winter and creating a competing right-wing electoral center. These officials are more concerned about the potential vote split caused by Hadad aligning with Winter than about Hadad’s possible contributions to Likud.

For Netanyahu, Winter’s candidacy presents a strategic dilemma. If Winter attracts four or five Knesset seats from voters who might otherwise abstain or support the right-wing bloc, he could be an asset. However, if Winter draws 2.8% of votes away from Likud, Smotrich, Itamar Ben-Gvir, and disillusioned right-wing voters but fails to enter the Knesset, he might inadvertently aid the formation of a government led by a figure he opposes. The political struggle within the right-wing camp is intensifying ahead of the 2026 elections.