Ofer Winter Independent Run: Warning for Netanyahu Coalition

Television host and commentator Shimon Riklin issued a stark warning during his Channel 14 program about the potential consequences of former IDF Colonel Ofer Winter's decision to run independently in Israel's upcoming elections. Riklin cautioned that Winter's candidacy could jeopardize the right-wing bloc's ability to form a government and threaten Benjamin Netanyahu's chances of returning as prime minister.

"I hear people telling me, 'Winter needs to pass the threshold because he'll save the right,'" Riklin said during the studio discussion. "You don't understand what's happening!"

Ofer Winter's statement on the conscription law ('Amcha Yisrael' Party)

The broadcaster delivered an emphatic message to viewers and participants in the program: "If Winter crosses the threshold, he brings down the right wing! He brings down the right, remember this. He brings down the right! You won't have Netanyahu."

The electoral threshold in Israel requires parties to win at least 3.25% of votes to enter the Knesset, the country's parliament.

Riklin's comments come as Winter has decided to run his 'Amcha Yisrael' (Your People Israel) list independently rather than merging with other right-wing parties. The move has sparked significant concern within the national camp that tens of thousands of votes could be lost if the party falls short of the threshold, or that the distribution of Knesset seats could shift in ways that prevent the right-wing bloc from securing the majority needed to form a government.

Winter, a decorated former military officer, has become a prominent figure among religious Zionist voters in recent years.