No. 8 on Winter's party list quits, Netanyahu and Smotrich urge others to follow

(Oct. 14, 2026 / JNS)

Davidi Ben Zion, the No. 8 candidate on Ofer Winter’s People of Israel electoral list for the Oct. 27 Knesset vote, announced on Tuesday night that he was withdrawing from the election, citing concerns that it would fail to cross the electoral threshold.

“The risk of not crossing the electoral threshold is too great, and I am not willing for the votes of people who believed in this path to go to waste,” Ben Zion said, while reaffirming his support for Winter and his political positions.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Likud Party) welcomed the decision, saying Winter’s candidacy “endangers the right-wing bloc” and calling on the remaining candidates “to act similarly to ensure a right-wing victory.”

Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich (Religious Zionist Party) praised Ben Zion’s “brave and difficult act of national responsibility” and urged Winter himself to withdraw, citing polls showing his party below the electoral threshold. “Don’t gamble with Israel’s security!” Smotrich said.