In order to build the anti-Netanyahu bloc, Lapid must sign individual agreements with seven parties, whose members would then vote in
parliament to confirm their coalition.
اضافة اعلان
They include the hawkish
New Hope party of Netanyahu’s former ally Gideon Saar and right-wing secular nationalist Avigdor Lieberman’s pro-settlement Yisrael Beitenu party.
The centrist Blue and White party of Defense Minister Benny Gantz, the historically powerful center-left Labor party and the dovish Meretz party would also join.
If all those parties indeed sign on, the emerging alliance still needs the backing of four more lawmakers.
For that, Lapid is counting on parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, which have not yet announced their intentions.
Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamic conservative Raam party, which has four seats, has generally voiced openness to any arrangement that improves living conditions for Israel’s 20 percent Arab minority of Palestinian descent.
Political analyst Afif Abu Much said on Tuesday that
Abbas would not pursue ministerial posts, but wanted chairmanship of two parliament committees and budgets for Arab communities.
He also aimed to revoke a law that has hardened penalties for illegal construction, which is seen to impact Arab communities disproportionately.
“They don’t want to be part of the government,” Abu Much told AFP. “What they want is to be the address of the Arab people in Israel.”
Political scientist Jonathan Rynhold warned that it would be unwise at this point to write off Netanyahu, “the best card player by miles”.
If Lapid fails to muster a majority, and lawmakers cannot agree on another candidate for prime minister, Israelis will return, yet again, to the polls.
Abbas told reporters Tuesday that negotiations appeared to be heading “in a good direction”.
But, he said: “until it’s finished, nothing is finished.”
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