Retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter’s New Party Crosses Electoral Threshold, Weakening Religious Zionism and Coalition

Retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter is set to announce his new political party today, which according to a recent Channel 12 poll, surpasses the electoral threshold and is projected to win four Knesset seats. This development comes at the expense of the Religious Zionism party led by Bezalel Smotrich, which falls below the threshold. The poll also shows the Likud party, headed by Benjamin Netanyahu, weakening to 21 seats. Overall, Winter’s entry reduces the coalition bloc by one seat to 49, while Zionist opposition parties grow to 60 seats, alongside 11 seats held by Arab parties. The Joint List, led by Yousef Jabareen, is projected to have seven seats, and Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am party four.

Other parties’ standings in the poll include Yisrael Beiteinu under Avigdor Lieberman with nine seats, Yesh Atid led by Yair Lapid at 16, and the Democratic Camp under Yair Golan at 11. Within the coalition, Otzma Yehudit led by Itamar Ben-Gvir holds nine seats, United Torah Judaism under Moshe Gafni eight, and Shas led by Aryeh Deri seven. Parties below the threshold include the Zionist Home-Militarists party of Hili Tropper and Yoaz Hendel, the Unity party led by Gilad Erdan, and Blue and White under Benny Gantz.

Winter’s political campaign has been quietly prepared over recent months, with a broad grassroots network of supporters, many from his military background in the Givati and Duvdevan units, where he is well regarded. Political insiders believe Winter aims to become the next defense minister, focusing his platform on security issues and reforming policies related to ultra-Orthodox military service. He has engaged in dialogue with young Haredi Israelis, expressing that the current situation is unsustainable.

In related news, Yousef Hadad announced his resignation as CEO of the Arab-Jewish partnership NGO "Together Arabs for Each Other," citing a desire to pursue new goals. Hadad emphasized his pride in being both Arab and Israeli and criticized existing Arab representatives for deepening divisions by focusing solely on Palestinian territories rather than integration within Israeli society. His organization has worked to promote Israeli-Arab partnership and break down prejudices.

Winter’s party launch was preceded by visible campaign signs in the Ayalon area, featuring his signature purple color associated with the Givati Brigade. The political landscape appears to be shifting as Winter’s entry reshapes coalition dynamics and opposition strength ahead of upcoming elections.