Winter’s rabbi backs People of Israel despite Netanyahu's pressure to withdraw from election

Rabbi Eli Sadan, the religious mentor of People of Israel party leader Ofer Winter, on Sunday expressed confidence that Winter would cross the electoral threshold, two days before the election.

The statement came despite recent efforts by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to persuade Sadan to pressure Winter to withdraw from the race.

Netanyahu has also called on voters not to support smaller right-wing parties hovering near the electoral threshold, such as the People of Israel party.

“I wish Ofer Winter success in passing the electoral threshold,” Sadan said.

“I believe that only if Ofer Winter passes the electoral threshold will Bibi [Netanyahu] have a full right-wing government,” he added. “That is what I hope will happen.”

Winter asserts he has no intention of dropping out

Last week, Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, who leads the far-right Religious Zionist Party (RZP), met with Sadan in an attempt to pressure Winter to withdraw.

During the meeting, the two reportedly highlighted concerns that Winter’s party would fail to cross the electoral threshold, according to recent polls, potentially costing the right-wing bloc Knesset seats.

Despite the attempts, the People of Israel party chairman has repeatedly asserted that he has no intention of dropping out.

Winter’s religious mentor also said on Sunday that he believed Netanyahu “was an excellent prime minister who did many good things for the people of Israel over the years, and I would very much like him to continue serving as prime minister.”

However, Sadan rejected reports that he had urged people not to vote for Winter because his party would fail to cross the electoral threshold, saying, “I think that is incorrect. I certainly did not say that.”

Winter endorses Netanyahu despite PM's calls to withdraw from race

Winter’s People of Israel party has endorsed Netanyahu for prime minister. The party has recently been polling below or just above the required electoral threshold.

Netanyahu last week called on Winter to withdraw from the race to “save the Right,” reiterating his earlier remarks that doing so would “prevent a dangerous left-wing government” led by the opposition bloc seeking to replace him. He has warned that splitting the right-wing vote could cost his camp the election.

On Wednesday, Smotrich also offered Winter a ministerial position in the Defense Ministry in exchange for withdrawing from the elections.

The position would have come from a ministerial allocation granted to RZP as part of potential coalition negotiations. However, Winter also rejected that offer.

The People of Israel party has sought to bring together people who have never served in the Knesset and were not part of the political or security failures surrounding the Hamas-led October 7 massacre.