Meet the Arab Islamist who can sway the Israeli election

[brooklynite]

Jerusalem Post

The complete tally of the election will not be announced until Friday, but preliminary results indicating that Ra’am (United Arab List) leader Mansour Abbas will be the kingmaker for the next coalition have seen both political camps begin efforts to woo him.

According to the preliminary results of 97% of regular votes counted, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc won 59 seats, two short of a blocking majority, unless Abbas would help him form a government. But there were indications late Wednesday that the numbers would change.

Netanyahu’s Likud won 30 seats, Yesh Atid 17, Shas nine, Blue and White eight, United Torah Judaism, Yamina, Yisrael Beytenu and Labor seven, New Hope and the Religious Zionist Party six, and Meretz five. After initial indications that Ra’am had not crossed the 3.25% electoral threshold, current results give it five seats and the Joint List six.

Preliminary results of the rest of the regular polling stations were delayed by technical problems. Late Wednesday, the Central Elections Committee began counting some 430,000 double envelopes, which are ballots from hospitals, nursing homes, emissaries, soldiers, prisoners and special polling stations for returnees at Ben-Gurion International Airport and for the sick and quarantined from COVID-19.

Sources close to Netanyahu said Likud would be open to parliamentary cooperation with Abbas but Netanyahu’s associates asked Likud MKs to stop talking about the matter. Yesh Atid leader Yair Lapid is set to meet with Abbas later this week.

[ColinC]

1. Honestly if Netanyahu can get the Arab List and Yamina in a coalition.

He deserves to be prime minister again. That being said, I don't think Arab List likes racists, and the leader of Yamina already made clear they won't serve in a government with Arabs.