In first for Israel, Arab party speaks with official voice in coalition talks
Whatever the outcome of tonight's talks on the composition of a new government, Raam head Mansour Abbas had already made history by openly participating in the negotiations for the change coalition.
This article is being penned just hours before the midnight deadline for composing a new government in Israel expires. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid has until midnight tonight to inform President Reuven Rivlin whether he succeeded in assembling a majority-backed cabinet. Negotiations continued throughout the night last night at Kfar Hamakabiya hotel, with a few obstacles still unsolved by this morning. Nevertheless, reports claim that the Arab Raam party would get what it demanded in exchange for backing the change bloc coalition. Its demands are largely focused on bettering the lives of Arabs citizens of Israel in terms of development plans and investment.
These hurried negotiations were launched after Yamina leader Naftali Bennett announced May 30 his intention to join a government with Lapid, who holds the mandate to form a government. “There’s unity or fifth elections,” declared Bennett, insisting it was time to stop the political madness in Israel.
Bennett would be sworn in as prime minister, while Lapid would serve as the alternate prime minister. Ironically, the so-called “government of change” will rely on a law passed by associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to allow him to form a government with Benny Gantz of Blue and White. Now it will allow his political rivals to eject him from the prime minister’s seat after 12 years.
Reports from Kfar Hamakabiya highlight disputes over this or that ministry and the disagreement over representation on the judicial appointments committee. Would Ayelet Shaked of Yamina, slated to become interior minister, sit on the committee, or would it be Israeli Labor chair Meirav Michaeli, slated to be transportation minister? But what stands out more is the role of Raam in the negotiations. For the first time in decades an Arab party is fully and openly participating in the political game, with Raam chair Mansour Abbas an equal among equals. The public acknowledgment is very different from what happened after the last election, when Blue and White negotiated secretly with the Joint List, making sure no written documentation of the talks left the room.
