Yair Golan Pushes to Form Government with Ra'am Party

Yair Golan, chairman of the Democrats party, has intensified his efforts to include the Arab Ra'am party in a future government. Less than a week after his initial statement advocating for an Arab party's inclusion in the government, which prompted his own party to issue a clarification, Golan announced on Saturday evening that he would personally lobby his partners to form a coalition with Ra'am. "I will act among my partners to form a government with Ra'am," Golan stated on the program "Meet the Press." He further commented on potential partners' reservations, suggesting, "There are things said before elections, but for me, the choice is easy." This marks a shift from merely presenting the Democrats' independent stance to actively seeking to persuade other bloc leaders.

Golan's remarks come shortly after a previous instance where he raised the issue, stating that an Arab party could and should be part of the next government, explicitly mentioning Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas. Following that statement, which occurred after a meeting of opposition party leaders, the Democrats clarified that Ra'am's potential inclusion was not discussed and that Golan was expressing his party's position. However, Golan's latest comments reintroduce the topic, indicating his intention to actively promote it within the bloc.

The move highlights a notable difference with National Unity chairman Gadi Eisenkot, who has explicitly stated that Ra'am will not be part of the next government unless it meets certain conditions. Golan's comment about "things said before elections" appears to be a direct reference to such statements made by coalition partners during the election campaign, which he implies may not hold after the votes are cast.

This is the second time in less than a week that Golan's statements on the matter have forced the opposition bloc to confront a question that some of its leaders prefer to keep out of the campaign. Previously, his party had to clarify that the issue was not discussed among them. Now, Golan is signaling his intent to bring the matter to the negotiating table with his partners.