Jerusalem, Oct 28 Yair Golan, leader of Israel’s Democrats party, on Wednesday urged the opposition bloc led by former military chief Gadi Eisenkot to form a government in partnership with Arab-led parties to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, highlighting divisions within the opposition over such cooperation.
Several allies in the opposition’s “change bloc” have rejected the proposal to include Arab parties in a governing coalition, while some have also ruled out relying on their support from outside.
“Netanyahu lost. I know how to count to 120. 65 is more than 55. That’s how Israeli democracy works. Period,” Golan, a former deputy chief of staff of the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), wrote on X.
Golan called for an end to what he described as racism and fear of political cooperation with Arab citizens.
“The picture of reality must teach us one resounding lesson: We have no future here if we don’t stop being afraid. And if we don’t stop with the racism. We must no longer accept Netanyahu’s racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes,” he wrote.
“The voice of an Israeli citizen voting in Taybeh is worth exactly as much as the voice of an Israeli citizen voting in Givat Shmuel. No less. Not approximately. Exactly,” he said, arguing that Arab citizens’ votes should carry the same weight as those of Jewish citizens.
“Anyone who tries to erase the voices of Arab citizens is surrendering to Netanyahu and giving up on Israel,” he added.
Golan’s proposal faces resistance from opposition figures who have ruled out forming a government that includes Arab-led parties. The opposition remains divided over whether Arab parties should join a governing coalition or support it from outside.
Golan also challenged Netanyahu’s allies over their claims to represent Zionism, criticising ultra-Orthodox parties in the prime minister’s bloc for opposing universal military conscription.
“In Netanyahu’s bloc sit 16 Knesset members from non-Zionist Haredi parties, who promote mass draft evasion while our children are fighting and dying,” Golan wrote.
He argued that the opposition had a Zionist majority of its own, saying, “The Change bloc has a Zionist majority: 49 against 39. The Change bloc has an Israeli majority: 65 against 55.”
Urging opposition leaders to cooperate with Arab citizens, Golan said: “We have a majority. We have responsibility. And we have an opportunity to form a government of change in partnership with Israel’s Arab citizens. A government that will serve all Israeli citizens.”
His appeal came amid uncertainty over government formation following Tuesday’s election.
According to partial results reported by Israeli media, Netanyahu’s bloc had 54 seats, Eisenkot’s bloc 47 and Arab-led parties 19, with 76.8 per cent of ballot boxes counted as of 10.58 am local time, according to local media reports.
A majority of 61 seats is required in the 120-member Knesset.
The figures would give Eisenkot’s bloc and the Arab-led parties a combined 66 seats if the reported breakdown holds.
However, their ability to form a government would depend on whether the parties could agree on a coalition or another arrangement.
To be sure, Golan’s figures of 65 and 55 in his post differ from the reported partial count and reflect his own political calculation, rather than the latest reported seat tally.
Arab-led parties have previously played a role in Israeli government formation. Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, joined the governing coalition formed in 2021 under then-prime minister Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid. That government collapsed in 2022, triggering another election.
Bennett now leads the B’Yachad alliance, another part of the opposition whose position on cooperation with Arab parties could affect efforts to assemble a governing majority.
(PTI News)
