Netanyahu Pressures Hadad to Abandon Winter's New Party

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's office made intensive efforts to weaken or dismantle the new "Amcha Yisrael" (Your People Israel) party led by former IDF general Ofer Winter, continuing until just before candidate lists were submitted to the Knesset, according to a report published Wednesday by Ynet. The pressure campaign focused particularly on Yosef Haddad, a prominent Christian Arab Israeli activist who holds the second spot on Winter's list. Netanyahu's associates attempted to persuade him to leave the new party and accept a reserved seat within Likud's Knesset slate.

According to the report, contacts with Haddad's team continued through Monday, immediately before the official list was presented to the public. He rejected all offers and chose to remain with Winter's party. Sources indicated that while Hadad had previously been considered a potential candidate for a reserved Likud seat, a serious formal approach only came days before Winter launched his party—by which point agreements between the two men had already been finalized.

Responding to Ynet's inquiry, Haddad confirmed that he and other members of the party's leadership had received numerous approaches from various sources, but emphasized that Amcha Yisrael is committed to bringing fresh voices to the Knesset and continues to run as a unified team.

The outreach to Haddad was not the first attempt to undermine the new party. Earlier efforts included offering a reserved seat to Winter himself, and a personal meeting between Winter and Netanyahu took place in which Winter made clear his intention to run independently. After attempts to broker a merger between Winter and Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party failed, Likud and coalition partners launched a campaign warning voters against "wasting votes." Recent polls show the party hovering near the electoral threshold—the minimum percentage needed to enter the Knesset—and Likud ministers have publicly called on right-wing voters not to support a party that may not cross that threshold.

Meanwhile, political observers are watching whether Winter will sign a vote-sharing agreement with National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. Such an arrangement would allow the two parties to pool surplus votes, those beyond what's needed for each Knesset seat they win, potentially preventing votes from being lost. Netanyahu may be reluctant to endorse such a deal, as it would legitimize Winter's independent run, though he might also see it as a tool to prevent vote loss within the right-wing bloc.

Smotrich has sharply criticized Winter's decision to run independently, claiming that "the only ones who stand to benefit from Winter's refusal to unite with the national camp are Gali Baharav-Miara and Yitzhak Amit and their friends on the left"—referring to Israel's Attorney General and other establishment figures. In response, Amcha Yisrael stated: "The people of Israel are asking for fresh leadership. We respect your work but will not engage in fear tactics. You too must recognize and acknowledge that the public wants new people, those who were not part of the events that led us to October 7th."