Religious Zionist Rabbis Push for Right-Wing Unity Deal

Dozens of rabbis affiliated with Israel's religious Zionist movement issued an urgent appeal Monday to Ofer Winter, leader of the Amcha Yisrael party and a retired IDF colonel, calling on him to unite his party with other right-wing factions before Thursday's candidate list deadline.

The letter, signed by prominent figures including Rabbi Eitan Eisman, Rabbi David Chai HaCohen, Rabbi Elyakim Levanon, and Rabbi Shabbtai Sabato, says that the coming days are decisive for the right-wing bloc's electoral prospects.

"This week will determine whether the right goes into the upcoming elections with united forces or, heaven forbid, divided," the rabbis wrote. They urged Winter to "take responsibility and act immediately to continue the important work of Religious Zionism party chairman and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich toward unity in the right-wing camp." The appeal comes as Winter's party faces uncertain polling numbers with just days remaining before parties must finalize their candidate lists.

The rabbis emphasized the stakes involved in maintaining a divided right. "Unity is always good, and certainly when great dangers to the people of Israel lie ahead," they wrote. Their letter concluded with a direct plea: "Ofer, when faced with certainty versus doubt, certainty is preferable. We cannot take risks when it concerns the entire people of Israel."

The appeal echoes repeated calls from Smotrich himself for consolidation across the right-wing spectrum. The finance minister has personally reached out to Winter, saying: "I approach him with tremendous respect for the man, his work, and his great contribution to the State of Israel, and I implore him, Ofer, don't take risks."

Smotrich chairs the Religious Zionism party, which currently sits in the governing coalition.

Winter, however, has staked out a firm position on a key policy issue. In a statement earlier this week, he declared that his faction would not join any government that fails to pass legislation requiring haredi (ultra-Orthodox) participation in military service. Israel's haredi community has historically been largely exempt from the mandatory conscription that applies to most Jewish citizens, a longstanding source of tension in Israeli society.

He also pushed back against what he characterized as political pressure tactics. "In recent days we are seeing how various elements are trying to dismantle us by every means, in every way," he said.

Recent polls suggest Amcha Yisrael faces a challenging path, with the central question being whether the party can clear the electoral threshold required to enter the Knesset, Israel's parliament. The rabbis' letter arrives at a critical juncture, with only two days remaining before the candidate list submission deadline closes.