Yair Golan Calls for Government with Arab Citizens, Citing Majority
Translated & summarized from Kipa by baba
Yair Golan, Chairman of the Democrats, is calling for a "change government" in partnership with Arab citizens of Israel, asserting that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost the election. Golan argued that all votes should be counted equally, regardless of whether they come from Jewish or Arab citizens. He also criticized the inclusion of non-Zionist Haredi parties in Netanyahu's bloc, claiming his own bloc has a Zionist majority. Golan urged for immediate action to form a new government.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Yair Golan called for a "change government" in partnership with Arab citizens of Israel.
- Golan stated that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lost the election and that 65 seats form a majority.
- He argued against Netanyahu's "racist division" of Jewish and Arab votes.
- Golan claimed the "change bloc" has a Zionist majority of 49 seats to 39.
- He criticized the inclusion of 16 non-Zionist Haredi Knesset members in Netanyahu's bloc.
Yair Golan, Chairman of the Democrats and a retired Major General, called on Wednesday for the formation of a "change government" in partnership with Arab citizens of Israel. He asserted that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had lost the election, stating, "We have a majority. We have a responsibility. And we have an opportunity to establish a change government in partnership with Arab citizens of Israel." Golan emphasized that democracy counts votes equally, regardless of the voter's background, declaring, "Netanyahu lost. I know how to count to 120. 65 is more than 55. That's how Israeli democracy works. Period."
Golan strongly criticized Netanyahu's approach, arguing against distinguishing between Jewish and Arab votes when calculating a Knesset majority. "We must no longer accept Netanyahu's racist division between Jewish votes and Arab votes," he stated. He equated the vote of an Israeli citizen in a predominantly Arab city like Tayibe to that of a citizen in Givat Shmuel, asserting, "The vote of an Israeli citizen who votes in Tayibe is worth exactly the same as the vote of an Israeli citizen who votes in Givat Shmuel." He added that attempting to erase the votes of Arab citizens means surrendering to Netanyahu and giving up on Israel.
Furthermore, Golan targeted the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) parties within Netanyahu's bloc, claiming that 16 Knesset members from non-Zionist parties are part of it. "If Netanyahu insists on counting only a Zionist majority, he should first remove the 16 Knesset members from the non-Zionist Haredi parties from his bloc," he argued. Golan calculated that the "change bloc" holds a Zionist majority of 49 to 39. He concluded with an urgent call for a new government, stating, "Now we need courage. We need leadership. We need to stop being afraid and start acting. A change government now!"
