Benny Gantz's announcement that he is withdrawing from the upcoming election has intensified public pressure from right-wing parties on Ofer Winter, head of the Amcha Yisrael list, to drop out of the race as well. Several recent polls show Winter's party failing to cross the electoral threshold.
Religious Zionism issued a statement saying: "Gantz's withdrawal stems from his responsibility not to lose votes for the left bloc. Now, after his exit, the left is perfectly organized in a way that ensures not a single vote will be wasted. By contrast, the right is showing complete irresponsibility this time from Ofer Winter and the other splinter parties that are nowhere near the threshold yet insist on throwing votes in the trash and endangering the State of Israel with a left-wing government backed by terror supporters that will bring disaster upon us."
"This is a real alarm. I call on Ofer and his colleagues to wake up and take responsibility. But more than that, I call on the dear public not to vote for parties that do not pass the threshold with absolute certainty. If the right loses votes, the left will rise to power. We do not gamble with the State of Israel!"
Likud minister Aryeh Deri responded today: "Gantz is showing responsibility toward his colleagues on the left so as not to lose a single vote. It is time for the right to wake up as well. If Winter withdraws, I will take my hat off to him."
Minister Gideon Sa'ar also called on right-wing parties to withdraw from the race, though he did not mention Winter's party by name. "Right-wing parties that are running and are below the threshold or close to it must do what Benny Gantz did an hour ago: withdraw from the race," Sa'ar said. "The price of wasting right-wing votes in this election could be fatal. In the 1992 election, due to the loss of votes from three small right-wing parties (Tehiya and the parties of Rabbi Mizrachi and Rabbi Verdiger), the left camp reached 61 mandates and we got the Oslo Accords. Show responsibility for the sake of the people of Israel and for the sake of the Land of Israel!"
Winter, however, is showing no signs of backing down, at least for now. In a statement he released today after Gantz's withdrawal, he said: "We thank Benny Gantz for decades of service to the State of Israel. Benny Gantz's withdrawal illustrates the importance of the Amcha Yisrael party in Israeli public life. Now it is clear, whoever wants a right that serves and is decisive, that is not dependent on Goldknopf's 61st finger, has only one home, Amcha Yisrael."
