Ofer Winter, the chairman of the People of Israel party, announced Monday his party’s complete list and closed the door to a rumored merger with Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party (RZP).
“The People of Israel party was launched only two weeks ago and has already become a significant player on the political map,” said Winter in a statement, adding that a reason behind it was that the party “brings a new spirit that represents the entire spectrum of the population and leads a policy of true right-wing and military decisiveness in all sectors.”
He also said that one of the goals of his party is to push for Haredi enlistment into the IDF “without compromise and without willingness to serve as [United Torah Judaism leader Yitzchak] Goldknopf’s political pawn at the expense of the soldiers.”
The decision defied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is pushing aligned parties to merge to avoid losing votes from the right wing if they fail to cross the electoral threshold.
“In recent weeks, Minister Smotrich has examined the possibility of adding many figures to the Religious Zionism list for the upcoming Knesset, but has waited with a decision on the matter in order to save places for a responsible unification with Ofer Winter’s party,” said RZP in a statement following the announcement.
“Minister Smotrich believed that joining forces in the national camp was more important for the good of his party and strengthening it with additional figures,” the statement continued.
“However, now that it seems that Winter has made up his mind to run independently and to gamble irresponsibly on the future of right-wing rule and the State of Israel, he will be free to once again examine the possibility of strengthening Religious Zionism through the chairman’s reserves,” it concluded.
Who is in Winter’s list for October elections?
In total, the People of Israel party shared the names of 18 candidates, with most polls currently giving them between four and five seats.
If these numbers are reflected in the upcoming election, then Ofer Winter, Yoseph Haddad, Netali Shem Tov, Eran Ben-Ari, and Fleur Hassan-Nahoum.
This is a developing story.
