Netanyahu Associate Approaches Arab Party Leader Over Potential Coalition Deal
(MENAFN) Mansour Abbas, leader of Israel's United Arab List (Ra’am), revealed Wednesday that an associate of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had approached him to discuss the formation of a future government, despite the premier's repeated criticism of Arab political parties.
Abbas disclosed the contact during an interview with Israeli public broadcasting, one day after Netanyahu delivered a speech in the Knesset targeting Arab parties. Meanwhile, opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot is working to assemble an alternative governing coalition.
According to Abbas, Natan Eshel, a close associate of Netanyahu, contacted him on behalf of the prime minister to inquire about Ra’am's position on proposed legislation that would prevent individuals facing criminal charges from serving as prime minister. The communication also included questions about whether the Arab party would consider supporting a coalition aimed at replacing the current government.
The proposed legislation, commonly referred to as the "accused law," seeks to prohibit a Knesset member facing serious criminal proceedings from being appointed to establish or lead a government.
Former Justice Minister Gideon Saar first introduced a draft of the legislation in October 2021, with other parliamentary groups presenting comparable initiatives in 2022. However, none of the proposals secured approval.
More recently, in October 2026, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman announced plans to advance the legislation in the next Knesset, while Eisenkot also committed to pursuing amendments to the proposed law.
Netanyahu is currently facing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
Abbas disclosed the contact during an interview with Israeli public broadcasting, one day after Netanyahu delivered a speech in the Knesset targeting Arab parties. Meanwhile, opposition politician Gadi Eisenkot is working to assemble an alternative governing coalition.
According to Abbas, Natan Eshel, a close associate of Netanyahu, contacted him on behalf of the prime minister to inquire about Ra’am's position on proposed legislation that would prevent individuals facing criminal charges from serving as prime minister. The communication also included questions about whether the Arab party would consider supporting a coalition aimed at replacing the current government.
The proposed legislation, commonly referred to as the "accused law," seeks to prohibit a Knesset member facing serious criminal proceedings from being appointed to establish or lead a government.
Former Justice Minister Gideon Saar first introduced a draft of the legislation in October 2021, with other parliamentary groups presenting comparable initiatives in 2022. However, none of the proposals secured approval.
More recently, in October 2026, Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Liberman announced plans to advance the legislation in the next Knesset, while Eisenkot also committed to pursuing amendments to the proposed law.
Netanyahu is currently facing trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust.
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