Ra'am, ultra-Orthodox parties explore cooperation as Eisenkot seeks coalition
Mansour Abbas signals openness to cooperation with Shas and UTJ as disagreements over religion and state threaten coalition negotiations
Ra'am party leader Mansour Abbas said on Wednesday that they were examining the possibility of cooperation with the ultra-Orthodox parties, Shas and United Torah Judaism, to support an Eisenkot-led government.
Abbas described this as one possibility for forming a new government but declined to provide details, saying: "Leave it for negotiation. We'll see how things develop."
Abbas also warned against misinformation, asking the public to pay attention only to official announcements.
He also reiterated claims made to i24NEWS on election night that he had been approached by Likud prior to the election in order to test the possibility of a coalition.
Abbas told Israeli media that he didn't even respond to the message because of what he described as the government's hypocrisy: "On the one hand, you incite against us, and on the other hand it is legitimate in your eyes to be in contact with us and try to connect, and bring us to a position that is in your favor."
Abbas's announcement comes amid rumours that Democrats leader Yair Golan is uninterested in a coalition with the ultra-Orthodox parties and prefers a minority government supported by Ra'am and the Joint List.
One of the new hurdles emerging since the opening of the Knesset on Tuesday comes in the form of a package of bills submitted by the Democrats that seeks to restore civil authority to family courts, ban gender segregation in higher education, and abolish rabbinical authority over civil matters.
The ultra-Orthodox parties, meanwhile, have laid out their goals for a coalition government focused on regulating yeshiva student enrollment, ensuring religious educational independence, and maintaining the status quo on religion.
This tension was further highlighted by comments from UTJ MK Yaakov Asher, who warned against a government based on ultra-Orthodox and Arab abstentions: "That will not happen." Meanwhile, Shas continues to publicly support Netanyahu and endorse a government led by him.