Amjad Shbita, the secretary general of Hadash, said in an interview with the Arabic-Israeli channel Kol Al-Arab that his party wants to bring down the current government, but does not intend to join the next coalition. He said Hadash would consider giving an initial safety net to a future government if it acts in favor of Israel's Arab society.
Shbita claimed that the United Arab List, Ra'am, is coordinating its moves with political forces linked to Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Lieberman, which could help form a replacement for the current right-wing government. He said Hadash wants to topple the government “at any price,” but does not see itself joining as a coalition partner.
At the same time, he said that if the next government shows a positive approach toward the Arab public, Hadash may consider supporting its formation from the outset. His remarks came against the backdrop of stalled talks on creating a joint four-party Arab slate, which recently ran into a dispute over whether to draft a common platform. According to the report, Ra'am opposed that idea and argued the list should be technical only, with each party free to act after the election according to its own policy.
The article also said Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas has expressed interest in joining a government that would replace the right-wing one, and suggested that Hadash and Ta'al could provide the safety net needed to establish it.
