Golan Calls for Arab Party in Government; Democrats Deny Discussion

Yair Golan, chairman of the Democratic Party, advocated on Sunday for the inclusion of an Arab party in the next Israeli government, calling it a natural and democratic step. In a radio interview, Golan expressed support for Jewish-Arab partnership, stating that 21% of the country's citizens deserve adequate representation. He specifically mentioned Mansour Abbas, leader of the Arab party Ra'am, suggesting that those who care for wounded soldiers in hospitals deserve a role in governance.

Shortly after Golan's remarks, the Democratic Party issued a clarification stating that his comments reflected only his personal stance and the party's intention to promote partnership, but that the issue was not discussed at the "Change Bloc" leaders' meeting held the previous evening. This clarification came as Golan's statements appeared to contradict those of his coalition partners.

Earlier, Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the National Unity Party, had stated on television that Ra'am would not be part of the next government, citing fundamental disagreements, including Ra'am's refusal to recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization. These statements followed a meeting of the "Change Bloc" leaders, Yair Lapid, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Yair Golan, at Lapid's home. The leaders signed a document pledging not to attack each other until a government is formed and agreed to establish working groups to formulate policy for a future government and increase voter turnout.

Separately, Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, commented on the selection of a prime ministerial candidate for the bloc, stating that the decision would be made only after the elections, contrasting past election strategies.