Netanyahu Tells Winter, Feiglin and Maoz to Merge or Withdraw

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Ofer Winter, Moshe Feiglin and Avi Maoz to merge their small right-wing parties into existing lists or withdraw from the election. Speaking Tuesday evening at the Binyamin Regional Council's annual event, Netanyahu warned that parties failing to cross the electoral threshold would waste votes, while those that barely cross could push established parties below it. He said he had no personal problem with Winter but viewed his independent run as a national problem. The intervention came hours after Winter launched Amcha Yisrael and identified it with the right-wing camp; none of the three leaders was reported to have accepted Netanyahu's demand.