Ben Caspit speaks this week with Shimrit Meir, a senior Middle East analyst and journalist. The veteran commentator hails the exceptional campaign delivered by leader of the Arab Ra’am party Mansour Abbas. She says that Abbas’ preferred option is not a coalition with the center-left, but a coalition with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his rightwing camp. Meir offers a variety of explanations as to why this is the case, such as his preference for a coalition with Jewish religious/conservative parties or Abbas’ desire to differentiate himself from the Arab Joint List and its leader Ayman Odeh.  

Links:

• Netanyahu’s fans hail historic speech by Israeli Arab legislator (al-monitor.com) 
• Israeli Arab politicians now part of the game for composing next government (al-monitor.com) 
• Arab-Israeli legislator emerges as kingmaker (al-monitor.com)