Story perspectives

Davidi Ben Zion Withdraws from Ofer Winter’s List

By Drooid · Oct 14, 2026, 8:06 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Davidi Ben Zion withdrew from Ofer Winter's People of Israel list.
He quit two weeks before the October 27 election, fearing the party would miss the threshold.
Ben Zion was No. 8 on the slate, a spot unlikely to win a Knesset seat.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the withdrawal important and urged remaining candidates to quit.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised Ben Zion’s step and urged Winter to follow poll trends.

History

Historical Context

In 1992 Israel passed the Knesset Elections Law, raising the electoral threshold to 1.5% and forcing small factions such as the 1996 Moledet–Herut alliance, which won only two of 120 seats, to merge. Today Davidi Ben Zion’s withdrawal from Ofer Winter’s People of Israel list follows that tactic, praised by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich to keep right-wing votes above the threshold.

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Story summary

Davidi Ben Zion withdrew from Ofer Winter's People of Israel list.
He quit two weeks before the October 27 election, fearing the party would miss the threshold.
Ben Zion was No. 8 on the slate, a spot unlikely to win a Knesset seat.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the withdrawal important and urged remaining candidates to quit.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich praised Ben Zion’s step and urged Winter to follow poll trends.

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