One day after they pledged not to fight, opposition chiefs split over Arab parties in coalition

Yair Golan, chair of the left-wing Democrats party, says that an Arab party could be part of the next government, exposing a fault line among opposition leaders less than a day after they met to coordinate their campaigns and pledged not to attack one another ahead of the October 27 election.

“We believe that an Arab party can be part of the government. It is natural, right, appropriate and democratic,” Golan tells Israel Radio’s Reshet Bet, adding that such a partnership would represent “genuine change after years of incitement.”

Shortly after the interview, the Democrats issue a clarification stressing that Golan was only expressing the party’s position to “promote Jewish-Arab partnership and the integration of Arab citizens of Israel into the leadership of the state after the elections” and that the possibility of including an Arab party in the next coalition “did not come up” during last night’s meeting of opposition leaders.

Ahead of the meeting, Gadi Eisenkot, head of the centrist opposition Yashar party, vowed in an interview with Channel 12 not to include the Arab-led Ra’am party, which has Islamist roots, in any potential government he leads. Other opposition chiefs besides Golan have also rejected the possibility of sitting with Arab parties in their coalition.

Ra’am, which was part of a government that briefly unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu from 2021-22, is generally seen as more moderate than the other major Arab-led party, the Joint List.

Last night’s meeting, held at Opposition Leader Yair Lapid’s home, was attended by Golan, Eisenkot, B’Yachad chairman Naftali Bennett and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman.

Golan, as opposed to the other opposition chiefs, has repeatedly advocated partnering with Ra’am, calling on the other opposition leaders to recognize Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas as a “legitimate partner.”

Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party alleges that Golan’s remarks reveal the opposition’s intentions to form a government backed by Arab parties. It repeats its campaign refrain: “Eisenkot will form a left-wing government with Yair Golan, Liberman, Bennett and the Arab parties.”

Ofer Winter’s right-wing People of Israel party also slams Golan’s comments.

Golan’s comments also come days after the Central Elections Committee voted to bar both Ra’am and the Joint List from running in next month’s election. The bans are subject to review by the High Court of Justice, which is set to hold a hearing on the matter Thursday.