Winter Concedes Early Netanyahu Pledge 'May Not Have Been Right' as Smotrich Dangles Minister Post to Quit
Less than a week before the vote, the People of Israel chief's rare admission came as Smotrich offered to give up a cabinet seat from his own party's allocation if Winter dropped out of the race.
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By Israel Politics Post Staff·Published
Ofer Winter and Yoseph Haddad at the People of Israel party launch in Jerusalem · Source: Chaim Goldberg/Flash90, via The Times of Israel
People of Israel party chairman Ofer Winter acknowledged that his early pledge of support for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu "may not have been right," while insisting he remains firmly within the right-wing camp, according to a report by The Times of Israel. The admission came less than a week before the October 27 election, with Winter's party still hovering near the 3.25% threshold needed to enter the Knesset.
Netanyahu and his allies have escalated pressure on Winter to withdraw, warning that a failed run could waste right-wing votes the coalition needs to secure a majority. Netanyahu personally circulated an open letter from bereaved military families urging Winter to step aside, arguing that "every vote is important" in a race this close.
In the most concrete offer yet, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich proposed giving up one of his own Religious Zionism party's allotted ministerial seats if Winter agreed to drop out, with the position overseeing both Palestinian emigration from Gaza and ultra-Orthodox enlistment, two issues central to Winter's campaign.
Winter's team rejected the offer. Number-two candidate Yoseph Haddad said the party would still "recommend Netanyahu" for prime minister despite what he called a smear campaign from Netanyahu's own supporters, while candidate Laly Derai, a bereaved mother herself, pushed back on the idea that all bereaved families share the same political view.
