Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has started contacts with Arab Israeli MK Mansour Abbas, head of the Islamic Movement’s southern branch, to form a new coalition government, Israeli media reported on Friday.
“There is no difference between Mansour Abbas and Ayman Odeh – the two of them will not be in the government. They represent parties that oppose the State of Israel,” Netanyahu told Radio Haifa on 12 March.
A few months ago, the majority of Jewish Israelis had no clue who Mansour Abbas was. But following the March 23 election, the dentist-turned-politician has become a household name.https://t.co/nA0VDZ8oBi
— +972 Magazine (@972mag) March 26, 2021
However, after Abbas obtained four seats in the Knesset, Haredi allies of the Likud Party mediated with Netanyahu to bring Abbas to the right-wing bloc.
Head of the Nazareth municipality Ali Salem has stated that Abbas and the United Arab List would choose to join Netanyahu and the right-wing parties.
Without defections, each side needs the support of Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, to form a government and avoid another election. https://t.co/xKNcr1upQT
— Al Jazeera News (@AJENews) March 24, 2021
While the extremist right-wingers in Israel absolutely reject Arab MKs as part of any Israeli government coalition, the Haredis would accept them as the last chance to give Netanyahu support to form a government.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
