Ofer Winter Defies Netanyahu, Submits Independent 'Amcha Yisrael' Slate Framed Around October 7 Accountability

Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter submitted his 'Amcha Yisrael' party's 18-candidate Knesset slate to Election Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg on Monday, September 7, 2026, rejecting days of pressure from Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to merge with Smotrich's Religious Zionist Party. The slate — led by Winter, Arab-Israeli activist Yoseph Haddad, journalist Netali Shem Tov, jurist Eran Ben Ari, former Jerusalem deputy mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum, and bereaved mother Lali Deri — was explicitly framed around recruiting candidates 'who were not part of the events that led us to October 7,' continuing Winter's campaign message that three years without a state commission of inquiry disqualifies the current political class. Smotrich called the move an 'irresponsible gamble' with right-wing governance; Winter's party rejected 'intimidation' and said it would not unite with parties tied to the pre-October 7 political and security establishment. Polling cited by Israeli outlets suggests the new party could win 4-5 Knesset seats in the October 27, 2026 election.