Winter Defies Pressure to Withdraw as Lieberman Fends Off Rivals
As election day approaches, Ofer Winter's Amcha Yisrael and Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beytenu find themselves at the center of political shifts. Lieberman faces simultaneous pressure from multiple rivals, complicating his path forward.
In the final days ahead of the elections, two parties have emerged at the center of voter shifts: the Amcha Yisrael party, led by Ofer Winter, and Yisrael Beytenu, headed by Avigdor Lieberman. While Winter refuses to succumb to pressure from the right to withdraw from the race, Lieberman is grappling with efforts by several rival factions to siphon off his voter base.
Likud officials acknowledge that Winter is determined to run until the end. He is preparing for election day with 96 campaign headquarters and thousands of activists, and has already booked a hall in Tel Aviv where his supporters will gather on election night. Although Likud assesses that persuading him to step down is virtually impossible, the party continues its efforts to curtail support for his faction.
Winter, however, is not merely aiming to stay in the race until the end; he is actively seeking to expand his political footprint. One of the primary target audiences identified by Amcha Yisrael consists of Lieberman's voters, who have become more receptive to persuasion amid what is perceived as an unfocused campaign by the veteran politician.
Winter is not alone in targeting Yisrael Beytenu's base. Naftali Bennett is waging an aggressive campaign for young voters, encroaching on Lieberman's core support. Simultaneously, Gadi Eisenkot is seeking to attract voters through a campaign emphasizing the critical importance of a large party. Consequently, Lieberman finds himself fending off competition for his electorate from three distinct directions simultaneously.
As a result, Lieberman is falling short of the level of support necessary to solidify his status as a viable candidate for prime minister. This may also explain his opposition to the formation of a minority government led by Eisenkot, having announced that he would not support such an administration.
Lieberman has anchored his political platform on promises to advance legislation that would force Benjamin Netanyahu out of the political arena, yet he has failed to present his prospective partners with a clear blueprint for forming a government after the election. Against this backdrop, both Bennett and Eisenkot publicly cast doubt on the feasibility of passing the "indictment bill" championed by Lieberman, in a move widely interpreted as a direct political message to him.
