Netanyahu Receives a Blow Before the Elections.. His Campaign Against Winter Fails to Achieve Its Goals

Tel Aviv - Afaq News - Israeli media reports revealed internal disagreements within the Likud party regarding the campaign led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu against reserve Brigadier General Ofir Winter, with discussions indicating that the political and media attacks on him have not achieved the goals set by the party leadership before the elections.

According to a report published by the newspaper "Israel Hayom", an internal review within Likud showed that the posts attacking Winter garnered much less engagement than other posts within the electoral campaign, with the number of likes on some posts ranging from about 1,700 to 4,000 only, compared to tens of thousands for other posts.

Reports cited sources within Likud stating that Winter continues, according to polls reported by Israeli media, to surpass the electoral threshold, prompting discussions within the party about the need to reconsider how to deal with him. The Likud leadership had already discussed escalating the campaign against Winter, amid fears that competition between parties for right-wing votes could lead to a loss of votes within the camp itself.

In recent weeks, Netanyahu has launched political attacks on Winter, urging voters not to vote for parties that may not surpass the electoral threshold, a message widely understood to target Winter's party. He also previously called on Winter and other small right-wing parties to merge with existing parties or withdraw from the electoral race.

In contrast, the Likud party denied the report, describing it as "completely false news and a baseless fabrication", stating that Winter, according to the party's position, could lead to the fragmentation of votes within the right-wing camp.

These developments come about a month before the Israeli elections, at a time when Likud is trying to determine its final electoral strategy, amid competition within the right-wing camp for voters' support, and concurrently with the ongoing political struggle between Netanyahu and Winter.