Jerusalem, 25 October, 2026 (TPS-IL) — Rabbi Eli Sadan, head of the Eli pre-military academy, has publicly endorsed Ofer Winter, leader of the Amcha Yisrael party, despite heavy pressure from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Religious Zionism leader Bezalel Smotrich.
In a newly leaked recording, Rabbi Sadan rejected calls for Winter’s list to withdraw from the race. He explained that a right-wing government depends on Winter crossing the electoral threshold. Sadan explicitly clarified that his statement aims to refute false rumors claiming he opposed voting for Winter over fears of wasted votes.
The declaration marks the failure of a high-profile mediation meeting held a week ago at Sadan’s home, which was attended by Netanyahu, Smotrich, and Rabbi Yigal Levinstein. Meanwhile, Winter criticized Likud leadership, accusing Netanyahu of damaging the right-wing bloc by repeatedly “shooting us in the back.”
