The Joint List is cautious in dialogues supporting a minority government headed by Gantz
Ramallah – North-Press Agency
Ahmad Ismail
Dr. Aida Toma-Suleiman from the Joint List at the Knesset has said on Thursday, that their alliance is cautiously dealing with Gantz's attempts to obtain their support, "the Joint List is not in anyone's pocket."
On Wednesday, the representatives of the Joint Arab List and the Kahul Lavan Party convened in the Knesset, which did not result in any agreement to provide support by the Joint to a minority government headed by Benny Gantz to cut the road on Netanyahu.
The meeting, which was held within the framework of the alliance communications, was attended by MPs Ofer Shelah and Avi Nissenkorn representing Kahol Lavan, and the deputies Mansour Abbas, Ahmad al-Tibi, Aida Toma-Suleiman and Mtanes Shehadeh representing the Joint List. Another meeting was agreed to be held after submitting matters to the institutions of the two parties, in order to make the decision.
On the other hand, the Knesset member Aida Toma-Suleiman told North-Press regarding the Joint List, that all of the parties are completely in agreement with each other about the necessity of Gantz's fulfillment of all the requirements of the Joint List, before any support from abroad.
For his part, the partisan affairs expert, Muhammad Masalha told North-Press that the limiting of the delegation of Kahol Lavan (Blue and White Alliance) to two members of the second level for their party in yesterday's meeting, pushed the Joint List to be satisfied with the presence of members from the List, without its president Ayman Odeh, who commented after the meeting: "We are in the most difficult moments of defiance, and so are in a place full of buried bombs and mines. We have to be very careful.”
The Israeli media highlighted the insistence of the Joint List’s delegation, in contrast to what the delegation of Kahol Lavan wanted, on the meeting to be exposed to the media, as this orientation comes in fear of the "betrayals" that might stem from the Labor-Meretz Alliance with the departure of (Gesher Party), represented by Orly Levy, as said: “She will not accept the Joint List support of Gantz, as well as Hendel and Hauser of Kahol Lavan."
Meanwhile, the President of Yisrael Beiteinu, Avigdor Lieberman, has expressed his opposition to cooperation with the Joint List in coalition affairs and said that his party will shape, on next Sunday, its recommendation to the Israeli President Reuven Rivlin. Lieberman still opposes the alliance with the Joint List and wants a liberal Zionist government coalition. As Lieberman has accused Netanyahu of activating what he described as a mechanism of incitement against his opponents.