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🇮🇱 Israel /Elections & Politics

Defying Netanyahu pressure to merge, Winter submits People of Israel's list ahead of 2026 election

From Jerusalem Post · () English

Summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

News Official statement Ongoing story
  • Ofer Winter’s People of Israel party submitted its final list of 18 candidates, rejecting a rumored merger with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party.
  • The decision defied Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effort to unite right-wing parties and avoid losing votes below the electoral threshold.

Ofer Winter has closed the door on a possible alliance with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, submitting the complete candidate list for his newly launched People of Israel party.

Winter said the party, founded only two weeks ago, had already become a significant force on Israel’s political map. He described it as bringing “a new spirit” representing the full population and pursuing “true right-wing and military decisiveness” across sectors.

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

· Ofer WinterWinter’s description of the People of Israel party after it submitted its list.

The party also lists Haredi enlistment in the IDF among its goals. Winter said it would pursue enlistment “without compromise and without willingness to serve as Goldknopf’s political pawn at the expense of the soldiers,” referring to United Torah Judaism leader Yitzchak Goldknopf.

without compromise and without willingness to serve as Goldknopf's political pawn at the expense of the soldiers

· Ofer WinterWinter’s statement on the party’s goal of Haredi enlistment in the IDF.

The decision runs against Netanyahu’s push for aligned parties to merge, an effort aimed at preventing right-wing votes from being lost by parties that fail to pass the electoral threshold. The Religious Zionist Party said Smotrich had considered adding figures to its list while reserving places for a possible agreement with Winter.

The party accused Winter of deciding to run independently and of “gambling irresponsibly on the future of right-wing rule and the State of Israel.” It released 18 names, while most polls currently give the party four to five seats. The story remains developing.

gamble irresponsibly on the future of right-wing rule and the State of Israel

· Religious Zionist PartyThe party’s criticism of Winter’s decision to run independently.
About this summary

Originally published by Jerusalem Post. Summarized and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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