Financial Debts Complicate Calls for Ofer Winter to Exit Knesset Race
Ofer Winter faces mounting pressure to withdraw from the Knesset race, hindered by millions in campaign debts, while Prime Minister Netanyahu and Rabbi Eli Sadan weigh in.
Amid mounting political pressure on Ofer Winter to withdraw from the Knesset race, reports indicate that financial liabilities of millions of shekels are a primary barrier to his exit. Winter's party, Amcha Yisrael, raised approximately 7.5 million shekels in guarantees and secured millions in bank loans to finance its election campaign. With just days remaining before the ballot, these heavy financial obligations complicate any decision to drop out.
Simultaneously, Rabbi Eli Sadan, head of the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli and a spiritual mentor to Winter, addressed public speculation regarding his stance. Sadan stated that he hopes Winter clears the electoral threshold so that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu can secure a fully right-wing government, clarifying that he never claimed Winter would fail to cross the threshold.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich have intensified efforts to convince Winter to withdraw, fearing the loss of right-wing votes. Smotrich recently offered Winter a ministerial portfolio within the Defense Ministry alongside authority over voluntary migration from Gaza and ultra-Orthodox enlistment initiatives in exchange for dropping out. Representatives for Amcha Yisrael rejected the offer, stating that their run is ideologically driven rather than motivated by political positions.
