Yair Netanyahu Launches Campaign Against Ofer Winter’s Party, Warning of Oslo-Like Outcome

Pressure within the Likud party is intensifying following the entry of retired Brigadier General Ofer Winter into politics. After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu criticized new right-wing parties, his son Yair Netanyahu also joined the campaign, warning of the potential damage Winter’s party, "Amcha Yisrael," could cause to the right-wing bloc. Responding to posts by Leli Deri, a bereaved mother and candidate in Winter’s party, and Yosef Hadad, Yair Netanyahu argued that if Winter’s party runs independently without uniting with Smotrich’s party, only three scenarios are possible: the party fails to pass the electoral threshold and wastes right-wing votes; it passes but causes Smotrich’s party to fall below the threshold; or both parties fail to pass. In all cases, Yair Netanyahu concluded, the result would empower a government led by Benny Gantz, Yair Golan, and Mansour Abbas, likening the potential outcome to the Oslo Accords disaster.

This warning comes amid concerns that Winter’s party could also draw votes from Likud and other right-wing parties. Earlier, Prime Minister Netanyahu addressed the new parties at a conference in Binyamin, explicitly naming Winter alongside Moshe Feiglin and Avi Maoz. Netanyahu stated he has no personal issue with them but sees a national problem, emphasizing that parties failing to pass the threshold waste votes, while those that do could topple existing parties, risking a new disaster instead of building on current achievements. He urged the new parties to either withdraw or unite with existing ones for the sake of Israel.

Political analyst Amit Segal noted that Winter’s launch speech notably did not mention Netanyahu’s name, suggesting a strategic ambiguity. Segal highlighted the key question of whether Winter will commit to sitting only with Netanyahu or keep options open for a broader right-wing government including Avigdor Lieberman and Naftali Bennett. This delicate political maneuvering will be crucial in the coming period.