Arab mayors pressured Zoabi to stay in coalition, says Kafr Kanna chief

Kafr Kanna mayor Izz al-Din Amarna tells The Times of Israel that pressure by Arab mayors on Rinawie Zoabi was key to keeping her inside the coalition.

“We asked for her not to leave the coalition. We told [her] that we are not interested in toppling this government. We pressured her and she went back on it,” says Amarna.

Amarna adds that “hundreds of millions of shekels” promised to Arab communities as part of a five-year plan to reduce inequality between Arab and Jewish towns have yet to be dispensed. Throughout the meeting with Foreign Minister Yair Lapid, the mayors demanded that the government accelerate its disbursement, he adds.

“There will be a vote in the Finance Ministry to disperse this money soon. We’re talking about hundreds of millions of shekels here that they need to transfer,” says Amarna.