Israel’s parties explained: Amcha Yisrael

(Oct. 18, 2026 / JNS)

After more than three decades in uniform, Ofer Winter is seeking a place in Israel’s political leadership. The retired brigadier general heads Amcha Yisrael (People of Israel), a new right-wing party contesting the Oct. 27 election. It combines a hard-line security agenda with demands for changes to public institutions and broader military service. Winter is campaigning for new leadership while pledging to support Benjamin Netanyahu for prime minister. His aim is to change government policy from within the right-wing bloc, drawing support from voters dissatisfied with its existing parties.

The movement

Winter’s political outlook developed through a career rooted in religious Zionism and military command. He attended the Bnei David pre-military academy in Eli before enlisting in 1990. After serving in General Staff Reconnaissance Unit (Sayeret Matkal) and holding command positions in the Maglan commando unit, he rose through the infantry and special-forces ranks. He commanded the Givati Infantry Brigade during the 2014 Gaza war (“Operation Protective Edge”) and later served as Central Command chief of staff, military secretary to the defense minister, and commander of the 98th Paratroopers Division.

Winter left the military in 2024 after being passed over for promotion to major general. His campaign has focused on what he describes as the failure of political and military leaders to replace the security assumptions that preceded Oct. 7, 2023. He launched Amcha Yisrael on Aug. 25, presenting new Knesset candidates untainted by the failures of Oct. 7 as essential to changing that approach. “It is time for new people. Less politics—more leadership,” he said at the launch.

The party’s recruits extend beyond Winter’s religious-Zionist background. Second on the list is Yoseph Haddad, an Arab-Israeli Christian, former Golani soldier and pro-Israel public-diplomacy activist. He is followed by former news anchor Netaly Shem Tov, lawyer and judicial-reform advocate Eran Ben-Ari, and former Jerusalem Deputy Mayor Fleur Hassan-Nahoum. Lali Deri, whose son was killed fighting in Gaza, has campaigned for broader military service. Alongside reservist representatives and families affected by Oct. 7, these candidates give the party a leadership drawn from military service, journalism, law, local government and public advocacy.

The platform

Amcha Yisrael’s security program calls for replacing repeated rounds of fighting and ceasefires with rapid military campaigns that destroy enemy capabilities and prevent their reconstruction. Its 18-point plan advocates retaining security control over territory used to attack Israel, preserving military freedom of action against Hezbollah and expanding domestic ammunition production. The party argues that shorter, decisive campaigns would also reduce the prolonged burden on IDF reservists.

In Gaza, the party supports continued Israeli security control and voluntary emigration through agreements with countries willing to receive Gazans. It has yet to publish a complete implementation plan. Amcha Yisrael rejects Palestinian statehood and supports expanding Jewish settlement in Judea and Samaria. Winter has proposed disarming the Palestinian Authority and extending Israeli sovereignty to Areas B and C, while leaving major Palestinian cities to administer their own municipal affairs.

Military service is another central priority. “If there is no substantial integration of haredim into military service, I have failed,” Winter told Ynet. The party proposes a Basic Law establishing military and national-service obligations, alongside limited recognition of full-time Torah study. Its October plan would cap recognized Torah students at 25% of each ultra-Orthodox draft-age cohort, subject to military needs and absorption capacity. It also calls for service frameworks accommodating haredi religious practices, and higher soldiers’ pay, particularly for combat soldiers.

On judicial reform, Amcha Yisrael proposes separating the attorney general’s prosecutorial and advisory responsibilities and creating an appellate body to review High Court rulings. It also seeks a special investigative committee into Oct. 7 with the powers of a state commission of inquiry. Under its proposed appointment process, the Knesset would elect two retired judges to lead the investigation, with bereaved and hostage families participating in its work.

The party’s domestic-security agenda focuses on protection rackets, illegal weapons and arms smuggling. It proposes a national body coordinating intelligence, enforcement and financial sanctions against organized crime, followed by a nationwide enforcement operation.

Economically, Amcha Yisrael advocates breaking up monopolies, removing import barriers and reducing bureaucracy for businesses. Its housing proposals emphasize urban renewal in peripheral communities, combining additional housing with infrastructure investment.

In education, the party supports core studies alongside Jewish and Zionist values, while giving school principals and local authorities greater control over staffing and educational programs.

International public diplomacy would receive a substantial expansion under a program led by Haddad. The party proposes a national authority to coordinate government communications, monitor foreign disinformation campaigns and train civilian spokespeople to represent Israel abroad. A round-the-clock international news channel would broadcast initially in Arabic, with Persian, Turkish and other languages to follow. The program also includes a legal unit to challenge boycott and defamation campaigns, alongside a 250 million shekel (about $81 million) fund and tax incentives to attract international film and television productions to Israel.

The partners

Amcha Yisrael seeks a place in a broad Netanyahu-led government, with Winter aiming to become defense minister and Haddad seeking the Public Diplomacy portfolio. Winter has ruled out serving alongside The Democrats leader Yair Golan and rejected the alternative coalition proposed by the Yashar party’s Gadi Eisenkot. He remains open to cooperation with the B’Yachad party’s Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beiteinu’s Avigdor Liberman, suggesting that Netanyahu bring them into a wider government. His support for Netanyahu, however, does not guarantee that Amcha Yisrael would join the coalition.

Winter’s principal condition is passage of military-service legislation before the government is sworn in. He has rejected promises to address the issue later through coalition agreements. That demand puts him at odds with Shas and United Torah Judaism over exemptions for ultra-Orthodox yeshivah students. Winter has not categorically excluded the haredi parties, but insists on a government whose majority would not depend on their support, limiting their ability to block his proposed changes.

His relations with other prospective partners have also become strained. Netanyahu and Religious Zionist party leader Bezalel Smotrich argue that Winter’s independent candidacy risks wasting right-wing votes if his party fails to enter the Knesset. Winter counters that Amcha Yisrael can strengthen the bloc by attracting voters dissatisfied with its existing parties. On Oct. 13, Itamar Ben-Gvir announced that Otzma Yehudit would not sign a surplus-vote agreement with him.

Concern over the electoral threshold has reached Winter’s own slate. Davidi Ben-Zion, deputy head of the Samaria Regional Council and No. 8 on the party list, withdrew his candidacy on Oct. 13, saying he would not risk losing right-wing votes to a party that might fall short. Netanyahu and Smotrich welcomed his decision. Amcha Yisrael alleged that pressure and harassment had been directed at Ben-Zion and his family.

Amcha Yisrael has passed the 3.25% electoral threshold with four seats in six out of the 12 major polls released over the past two weeks. The narrow gap leaves its parliamentary prospects uncertain, but Winter has rejected calls to withdraw. “Regardless of the polls, we’re running all the way,” he told Channel 12. His immediate challenge is securing representation in the Knesset; beyond that lies the difficulty of persuading Netanyahu and his partners to accept the conditions he has set for entering government.