Netanyahu Warns Ra'am Would Seek Interior Ministry, Grant Citizenship to Hundreds of Thousands of Palestinians
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the Ra'am party would seek the Interior Ministry and Interior Committee, enabling them to grant citizenship to hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. He also denied past coalition talks with Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas, stating any discussions were about direct elections. Netanyahu cautioned against a "Red-Green alliance" of left-wing and Arab parties potentially altering Israel's immigration policies.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned Ra'am would seek the Interior Ministry and Interior Committee.
- Netanyahu claimed Ra'am would use these positions to naturalize hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
- He warned against a "Red-Green alliance" of left-wing and Arab parties.
- Netanyahu denied past coalition negotiations with Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas.
- Discussions with Abbas were reportedly about direct prime ministerial elections, not a coalition.
- Netanyahu stated he chose not to form a government with Ra'am's support.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a stark warning on Monday against the formation of a government reliant on the support of the Ra'am party. In an interview with Yehuda Shlezinger on Channel 14's "Shva" program, Netanyahu claimed that Ra'am would demand control of the Interior Ministry and the Knesset's Interior Committee. He asserted that such a move would enable the party to advance the naturalization of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians through family reunification.
Netanyahu also addressed what he termed the "Red-Green alliance," cautioning against political cooperation between left-wing and Arab parties. He suggested that such a government could lead to significant shifts in Israel's immigration and citizenship policies. "Ra'am will request and receive the Interior Ministry and the Interior Committee, and through them, they will naturalize hundreds of thousands of Palestinians via family reunification," Netanyahu stated, presenting this as a primary scenario he fears ahead of the elections.
Furthermore, Netanyahu vehemently denied allegations that he had previously engaged in coalition negotiations with Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas. He clarified that any discussions with Abbas were solely aimed at securing his support for direct prime ministerial elections, not for incorporating Ra'am into a coalition government. "This is a lie. I will tell you what they talked about with him. Only about one thing," Netanyahu said, explaining the objective was to gain Abbas's backing for direct elections, not for a coalition. He emphasized that he had the option to form a government with Ra'am's support but chose not to pursue it.
