Amcha Yisrael Candidate Sparks Controversy Over Democrats

Davidi Ben Zion, a candidate on the Amcha Yisrael slate led by former IDF commander Ofer Winter, sparked controversy after expressing positive views about members of the Democrats party during an interview on the "All In" podcast hosted by Nadav Peri. When asked about the Democrats, led by Yair Golan and widely considered the most left-wing among Israel's Jewish parties, Ben Zion responded: "I only have a problem with Yair Golan, everyone else is fine. I even have friends there. Omri Ronen is a principled guy, and I like Naama Lazimi."

Right-wing social media users reacted with surprise, noting that Ronen was a prominent figure in the "Brothers in Arms" protest movement, which right-wing critics claim encouraged military refusal within the IDF.

The comments come just a day after another Amcha Yisrael candidate generated backlash from the right. Lali Deri, who recently joined Winter's party, has faced intense criticism since the party's launch announcement.

The controversy stems from remarks Deri made approximately a year ago on the "Hayeda" podcast produced by Beit Hapodium, where she addressed the debate over establishing a commission of inquiry into the events of October 7.

In those comments, he argued that any commission should be a state commission, and that its members should be selected by President Isaac Herzog and Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Solberg.

Many Likud supporters seized on her statement, claiming it revealed the party's true intentions and asserting that Winter would form a government with left-wing parties.

The question of a state commission of inquiry has become a major flashpoint between Israel's right and left political blocs. Several days ago, the Attorney General argued that given the proximity of elections, the decision about what type of commission to establish should be left to the next government.

Right-wing politicians do not recognize Herzog's legitimacy as president in this context and firmly oppose allowing him to select commission members. They argue such a commission would be politically motivated, focusing exclusively on political figures, particularly Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, while failing to thoroughly investigate military failures.

For Winter's supporters on the right, Deri's statement represents a significant contradiction, given that Winter presents Amcha Yisrael as an unambiguously right-wing party.