Netanyahu’s Era Nears End as Arab Party Eyes Role in Eisenkot Government

JERUSALEM, Nov 10: Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas said Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s political bloc was heading into the opposition, while expressing his party’s ambition to become part of a coalition formed by Gadi Eisenkot.

Speaking during a Ra’am faction meeting ahead of the swearing-in of members of Israel’s 26th Knesset, Abbas said his party would continue efforts to replace Netanyahu’s government and hoped to participate in the next governing coalition, according to Israeli media reports.

Abbas said participation in government was a “fundamental civil right” and an important way to advance solutions for the country’s Arab society, arguing that greater Arab participation in government would benefit both Arab and Jewish citizens.

“Arab society is not a burden; it is a catalyst for social growth,” Abbas said, describing its integration into Israel’s governing institutions as both natural and necessary.

He also rejected what he described as continued incitement against Arab citizens by political parties expected to sit in the opposition, saying there was “no place for incitement” and accusing political opponents of continuing to level serious allegations against the Arab community.

Abbas’s comments come as Eisenkot attempts to assemble a new governing coalition after President Isaac Herzog formally gave him the mandate to form a government on November 8.

Officially, factions representing 67 members of the 120-seat Knesset recommended Eisenkot for the task, compared with 46 lawmakers who backed Netanyahu, while a seven-member faction did not recommend either candidate. בית הנשיא

Eisenkot has 28 days to form a government and may receive an extension of up to 14 additional days if necessary. בית הנשיא

The opening session of the 26th Knesset was scheduled for Tuesday, when all 120 lawmakers were due to formally take their oath and begin their parliamentary terms