Yashar party's Shaul Meridor says Ofer Winter opposed ground operation in Gaza

Shaul Meridor claims Ofer Winter secretly lobbied cabinet members and Netanyahu against the Gaza ground invasion, alleging a contrast with his hawkish public image.

Shaul Meridor, a member of Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, claimed Ofer Winter approached officials in the cabinet after October 7 and attempted to prevent Israel from launching a ground campaign into Gaza.

Ofer Winter served as a reservist Brigadier General in the IDF at the beginning of the war with Hamas, and in August of this year launched the new right-wing "People of Israel" party.

"Sometimes it amazes me to see the gap between the image and reality," Meridor said. According to him, "Ofer Winter opposed the maneuver in Gaza and went to convince cabinet politicians not to go in." Meridor added that Winter tried, among other things, to convince Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu not to proceed with the operation. 

"Today he talks about being the most offensive-minded person," he stated. Meridor also claimed that despite Winter’s remarks, he currently has no ability to influence the makeup of the next government.

“He says it himself. They don’t have 61 [seats], they aren’t close to Netanyahu,” Meridor said. “He is irrelevant to anything.”

Netanyahu strategizes over the Ofer Winter issue

According to Maariv’s senior political commentator Mati Tuchfeld, since the electoral lists closed, several consultations took place throughout the week at Likud headquarters, in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's presence, regarding Ofer Winter and the addition of a new right-wing party.