It appears: Journalist Netali Shem Tov expected to join Ofer Winter

It appears that journalist Netali Shem Tov is expected to join the new party of Brigadier General (res.) Ofer Winter, which will be launched on Tuesday. Shem Tov also had offers from Likud and Gilad Erdan. The party is also expected to include Yosef Haddad and Lali Deri. Winter refused to unite with Smotrich or Ben Gvir.

It appears that journalist and news presenter Netali Shem Tov is expected to join the new party of Brigadier General (res.) Ofer Winter, which will be launched the day after tomorrow (Tuesday). This is according to sources in the political system. Shem Tov also had offers from Likud and Gilad Erdan, even before he announced the establishment of his new party with Yuli Edelstein. Winter's party is expected to include as number 2 the hasbara activist Yosef Haddad, alongside Lali Deri, a Religious Zionism figure who lost her son Saadia Deri during the war in Gaza. Winter refused to unite with Bezalel Smotrich or Itamar Ben Gvir, and rejected receiving a slot in Likud. He established a new party on the grounds that this is the only way to bring back right-wing voters disappointed with the coalition. Against the backdrop of difficulties in a renewed union between Smotrich and Ben Gvir, Netanyahu's associates fear that Winter's party could endanger the ability of Religious Zionism to pass the electoral threshold. Three weeks before the closure of the lists for the elections, Netanyahu is expected to begin organizing his bloc, but besides Winter there are a number of party splinters for which he will need to find a solution to prevent loss of votes, including those of Avi Maoz and Moshe Feiglin. In the Change Bloc as well, there is concern about a proliferation of center parties: Tropper and Hendel will struggle to pass the electoral threshold, partly because the same voters are also apparently being contested by Erdan, as well as Benny Gantz and Dedi Simchi.