Ofer Winter: "Aiming for the Defense Portfolio, We Haven't Decided in Any Arena"

Chairman of the "Amcha Yisrael" party, Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, stated in an interview on Kan 11 that he aspires to become Minister of Defense. Winter harshly criticized the defense establishment, claiming that Israel is still captive to the "conceptzia" and that "we haven't decided in any arena." He accused the military top brass during his tenure as military secretary of lying to the cabinet to avoid an attack in Gaza, and attacked former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot. Winter presented security principles and made clear he will not cooperate with Yair Golan or Eisenkot.

Chairman of the "Amcha Yisrael" party, Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, gave an interview this evening (Saturday) on the "Shabbat News" program on Kan 11 and addressed his entry into politics. Winter declared that his goal is the defense portfolio and the establishment of a broad right-wing government. He harshly criticized the defense establishment and claimed that Israel is still captive to the security "conceptzia," despite positive actions. According to him, "we haven't decided in any arena," and he noted that "emigration from Gaza hasn't started" and that "there is no governance." Winter presented security principles including "the righteousness of the path" and the determination that only Israel is responsible for its security. In the interview, he leveled severe accusations against the military top brass during his tenure as military secretary in 2018, claiming that the military lied to the cabinet to avoid an attack in Gaza. He attacked former Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot and said that his appointments testify to his judgment. Winter made clear that he will not cooperate with Yair Golan or Eisenkot, and that his aspiration is a broad right-wing government that does not rely on Goldknopf's vote.