As Winter fuels Netanyahu’s discontent, Israel's Right faces a new dilemma

Following the October 7 attacks, a widespread sentiment in Israel called for a complete overhaul of leadership across political, military, and intelligence sectors. However, as elections approach, many familiar figures, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, remain at the forefront of their parties, despite public desire for new, untainted leadership. A notable exception is Ofer Winter, a former IDF brigadier-general, who launched his "People of Israel" (POI) party with a slate of candidates largely lacking traditional political experience. Winter's party, which includes figures like Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad and bereaved mother Laly Derai, positions its lack of experience as an asset, arguing that past policies led to the current crisis. As Derai stated, "We had become so preoccupied with sharpening our positions against one another that we sharpened the pencil until there was no pencil. And the enemy saw it." Winter directly addressed criticism, saying, "There will be those who say that we lack experience. Fine – we have already seen where that experience has led us." Polls show varied results for POI, from below the threshold to eight seats, indicating an unpredictable impact on the upcoming elections, particularly for Netanyahu's right-wing bloc. Netanyahu has expressed concern that Winter's party, along with other small right-wing factions, could waste votes if they fail to cross the electoral threshold, potentially costing his bloc crucial seats, a scenario he illustrated by referencing past elections where similar outcomes occurred.