Ofer Winter condition for joining government: Universal draft law passed before coalition formed
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- Ofer Winter said his People of Israel party will not join the next Israeli government unless it passes a universal conscription law before forming a coalition.
- Winter said the party would consider alliances with new political figures but would not join existing Knesset parties, while supporting Benjamin Netanyahu as prime minister.
- Party official Yoseph Haddad said combating crime in Arab society and strengthening Arab-Israeli identity would be priorities.
Ofer Winter has set a firm condition for joining Israel’s next government: a law requiring every eligible young person to report for military service must pass before the coalition is formed.
“We will not join a government that does not pass, before it is formed, a law that puts an end to draft evasion and requires everyone to report for service and contribute,” Winter said on Wednesday. “If that does not happen, we will not be in the government. Full stop.”
We will not join a government that does not pass, before it is formed, a law that puts an end to draft evasion and requires everyone to report for service and contribute.
Winter, a retired brigadier general and leader of the newly launched People of Israel party, said “every young person of service age will report to the state.” He added that “no sector is above the law” and that those who serve should receive benefits, with greater contributions bringing greater rewards.
If that does not happen, we will not be in the government. Full stop.
The declaration came before the deadline for submitting party lists ahead of Israel’s October elections. Winter said his party was “not closing the door to alliances,” but would only consider joining “new and clean people.” Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich had urged Winter to run jointly with him and Zehut leader Moshe Feiglin.
The party includes Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad, former Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, reservists and bereaved relatives. It says it is bringing together people who were not part of the Knesset or the political and security failures surrounding the October 7 Hamas attacks in 2023. Winter said he belonged to the right-wing camp and would recommend Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister, ruling out cooperation with opposition figures including Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman.
Every young person of service age will report to the state. No sector is above the law. Those who serve will receive. Those who contribute more will receive much more.
Haddad, who is second on the party list, said the party would make fighting crime, particularly in Arab society, a leading goal. He also said it would seek to strengthen an Arab-Israeli identity in educational institutions serving Arab-Israeli communities.
Work to strengthen an Arab-Israeli identity in place of a Palestinian identity throughout Arab-Israeli educational institutions.
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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