Winter is Coming: Behind the Party That Became Netanyahu's Migraine

The "Amcha Yisrael" party, led by Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, was launched yesterday in a well-publicized event at the Shevah Center. Winter presented Yosef Haddad as his candidate for a position in the security cabinet. Behind the launch is an extensive field network built over recent months, which the party claims is second only to Likud and Yesh Atid in scope. For Netanyahu, Winter has become a significant headache even before the party got off the ground.

The "Amcha Yisrael" party, led by Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, was launched yesterday (Tuesday) at an event at the Shevah Center in Jerusalem. The crowd chanted "next defense minister" at Winter, and he did not rush to deny it. Winter presented Yosef Haddad as his candidate to be the first Arab in the political-security cabinet. Behind the launch is a field network built over months, including former soldiers of Winter, activists, and volunteers. The party claims its scope is second only to Likud and Yesh Atid. The event was tightly managed and well-publicized but included lengthy speeches. For Netanyahu, Winter has become a significant headache even before the party got off the ground. A source close to the Prime Minister's Office explained that Winter is perceived as harder to predict than Smotrich and Ben Gvir. The attack from the right is not doing the job, and one activist defined it: "Netanyahu came to curse and left blessed." Winter took a gamble by launching just before the list closure, and now the burden of proof is on him.