Netanyahu bloc scrambles to contain Winter rebellion as polls tighten

With one week to go, the PM and Smotrich pressure a right-wing holdout while a new poll shows the opposition bloc opening a lead.

Netanyahu bloc scrambles to contain Winter rebellion as polls tighten — Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Religious Zionism chairman Bezalel Smotrich met with Rabbi Eli Sadan, the former rabbi of Ofer Winter, in an attempt to convince Winter to withdraw from the election race.[^1] The move reflects a growing concern inside the Netanyahu bloc that Winter’s Amcha Israel party, polling below the 3.25% electoral threshold, will siphon votes from right-wing parties without winning a seat. Winter himself has signaled defiance: "The people of Israel are fed up with the ugly and unethical campaign you have led," he said, framing his candidacy as an alternative leadership for the right.[^1] The pressure campaign comes as a new Walla poll by the Lazar Research Institute shows the Netanyahu bloc weakening to 48 mandates, while the opposition bloc stands at 54.[^2] Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party leads with 23 mandates, up one from previous surveys, while Likud drops to 19. Naftali Bennett’s Together party rises to 14. The data suggests that even if Winter withdraws, his voters may not reliably return to Likud—only 23% of Bennett voters are completely confident in their choice, compared to 40% for Eisenkot and 68% for Likud voters.[^2] The gap in voter confidence within the center-right camp could complicate coalition arithmetic after October 27. Meanwhile, Benny Gantz announced Monday that his Blue and White party is withdrawing from the October 27 election race, thinning the field of centrist options.[^3] The Central Elections Committee chairman, Judge Noam Sohlberg, ruled that advance payment approval will be required for use of IDF Spokesperson's Unit or Government Press Office materials, ordering Likud to pay 7,500 shekels in expenses after finding that Netanyahu repeatedly published campaign videos without proper authorization.[^4] The ruling adds a procedural headache for Likud’s campaign operation in the final stretch. What remains unclear is whether the Netanyahu bloc’s efforts to consolidate the right will succeed before the deadline, or whether Winter’s insistence on running will leave the bloc with wasted votes and a narrower path to 61 seats. Red Sea air d