Ex-Netanyahu Aide Claims He Negotiated With Mansour Abbas

Yoav Horowitz, former chief of staff to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and a founder of the "Yashar" party, revealed on Channel 13 that he conducted negotiations with Mansour Abbas in February 2019. Horowitz stated that he met Abbas in Kafr Qasim at the home of an Arab friend, following instructions from Netanyahu. He described the negotiations as unsuccessful, attributing the failure to Abbas rather than Netanyahu.

Horowitz also addressed the issue of relying on the Ra'am party when forming a government, a concern for many Israelis. He dismissed the question as hypocritical and stated unequivocally that Gadi Eisenkot, his partner in the "Yashar" party, would not sit with Ra'am. Horowitz outlined conditions for potential coalition partners: recognition of Israel as a Jewish, Zionist, and liberal state, adherence to the Declaration of Independence, mandatory military service, and acknowledgment that Hamas is a terrorist organization that must be destroyed.

Separately, the Central Elections Committee had previously disqualified the Ra'am party, led by MK Mansour Abbas, from participating in the upcoming elections. This decision, made after a heated debate, was passed by a majority of 18 committee members against five, with one abstention, highlighting the political polarization surrounding Arab parties.