Ben Gvir Rejects Vote-Sharing Deal With Ofer Winter, Calls Him 'Bennett 2'

Winter's party responded sharply, urging Ben-Gvir to "grow up" and accusing him of "throwing away votes" and engaging in "gimmicks" instead of focusing on defeating enemies. Winter has stated he will only recommend Netanyahu for prime minister and has ruled out joining an opposition-led government, though he has conditioned joining a Netanyahu government on universal military service legislation. Currently, Otzma Yehudit polls at six seats, while Winter's party is near the electoral threshold.

The refusal to ally with Winter's party poses a significant risk to the right-wing bloc, potentially leading to the loss of votes that fall below the electoral threshold. Likud previously refused to sign a surplus agreement with Otzma Yehudit, leaving Ben-Gvir excluded from other potential alliances within Netanyahu's bloc. Under Israeli law, parties must finalize surplus-vote agreements by October 16, which is 11 days before the October 27 election. Other major parties have already secured agreements, including Likud with Religious Zionism, Shas with United Torah Judaism, Naftali Bennett's party with Yisrael Beiteinu, and Gadi Eisenkot's party.