After twenty years, the Arab Members of Knesset will be called upon to participate in coalition talks after the chairman of the Blue & White party, MK Benny Gantz, receives the presidential mandate to form a coalition government from President Reuven Rivlin, KAN Reshet Bet Radio reports. The last time Arab members of Knesset were called upon during coalition talks was back in 1999.

After Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu failed to establish a coalition government, on Monday night, motzei Simchas Torah, he returned the mandate to the president amid the awareness he will not be able to form a coalition. The deadline for the 28-day mandate was Wednesday, October 23, 2019. Despite concerns in the right-wing camp, Blue & White party officials have not announced that the Arab MKs will be members of the coalition but it is nonetheless expected that he will summon the Arab legislators for coalition talks.

In fact, most expect that Gantz will turn to PM Netanyahu and the Likud party first. Mr. Netanyahu is expected to decline entering a Gantz-led government, and he is likely to refuse to sit and meet. Gantz is also expected to turn to the right-wing parties to hear what they have to say, hoping they will consider entering his coalition.

One must remember that if Netanyahu remains loyal to the religious and right-wing parties, and they do the same in reverse, then Gantz will have difficulty in establishing a coalition without the Joint Arab List. In addition, the chareidim have announced they would not sit in a coalition with MK Yair Lapid, who holds the second position on the Blue & White List, and MK Avigdor Lieberman, who chairs the Yisrael Beitenu party, refuses to enter a coalition with the chareidim and religious parties.

Hence, Gantz is likely to find himself in the same position as the Prime Minister, and he too may have to return the mandate, which will lead to a third Knesset election.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)