Despite pressure from Netanyahu, Ofer Winter’s rabbi stands by him

Rabbi Eli Sadan, the spiritual mentor of Ofer Winter, stands by the right-wing politician, despite a request from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for the rabbi to push Winter to end his campaign.

Netanyahu and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich met with Sadan last week to ask him to pressure Winter to drop out. In response, Winter vowed to stay in the race through Tuesday’s election.

In a recording aired today on Channel 12, Sadan praises Netanyahu, but says he hopes Winter’s party, People of Israel, exceeds the 3.25 percent threshold of votes needed to enter the Knesset.

“I strive not to get involved in elections,” says Sadan, who heads the right-wing pre-military academy in the West Bank settlement of Eli. “Benjamin Netanyahu was an excellent prime minister. I would really want him to continue being prime minister. I assume that he’ll get through this election successfully as well.”

He adds, “I hope for Ofer Winter to pass the electoral threshold. Only then will Bibi have a fully right-wing government.”

Netanyahu and his Likud party have repeatedly attacked Winter and pushed for him to drop out, claiming that he will not support Netanyahu’s reelection and will join the premier’s opponents. People in Netanyahu’s camp are also worried that he will fail to get 3.25% of the vote, which would mean that all of his party’s votes would be wasted.