Rabbis Urge Right-Wing Unity as Netanyahu Warns Over Threshold Parties
Over 100 Religious Zionist rabbis urged voters to avoid parties polling below the threshold, targeting Ofer Winter's Amcha Yisrael party amid concerns of splitting the right-wing vote.
More than 100 prominent Religious Zionist rabbis have issued a letter urging the public not to vote for parties polling below the electoral threshold, warning of a potential loss of right-wing votes, specifically targeting Ofer Winter's newly formed "Amcha Yisrael" party. The publication of the letter was temporarily delayed after Winter requested a meeting with representatives of the rabbis. Following discussions with three senior rabbis—Rosh Yeshiva Rabbi Yaakov Shapira, Safed Chief Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu, and Rabbi Eitan Eisman—the letter was ultimately published with 114 signatures, though it omitted the explicit mention of Winter's party.
Shortly after the meeting, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the three rabbis to present the political situation and voice concerns that factional votes failing to enter the Knesset could jeopardize the right bloc's ability to form a government. In the final letter, the rabbis called on voters to support only parties that safely clear the electoral threshold, emphasizing the critical nature of the election.
In response, the "Amcha Yisrael" party stated that it was clarified during the joint meeting that they are running with full force to inject a new spirit into Israeli politics and secure a right-wing victory. The party added that without Amcha Yisrael, the right would lose, and that while Winter respects the rabbis, the ultimate decision rests with the Israeli public.
