Bereaved families slam Blue and White for seeking Arab support

“Anyone who considers themselves to be a Zionist party cannot form a government that relies on the Joint (Arab) List,” said one.

By Paul Shindman, World Israel News

Family members of Israelis killed in terror attacks and in the line of duty held an angry protest demanding that the Blue and White Party back off from its intention to form a government using the support of Arab parties, Israel Hayom reported on Wednesday.

Several dozen protesters waved Israeli flags and held placards outside President Reuven Rivlin’s official residence in central Jerusalem.

Demonstrators said they would continue their demonstration until next week when delegations from all parties will meet Rivlin and give their recommendations on who he should pick to form a new government.

“Anyone who considers themselves to be a Zionist party cannot form a government that relies on the Joint (Arab) List,” said Meirav Hajaj, whose daughter Capt. Shir Hajaj was killed in a Palestinian terror attack in 2017.

The results of Israel’s March 2 national election were deadlocked, with no party being able to form a 61-seat majority in the Knesset. Israel’s 120-seat parliament.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has the support of only 58 Knesset members.

On Monday, Blue and White leader Benny Gantz said he would move to form a minority government in order to drive Netanyahu into the opposition. Gantz met with leaders of the Joint List, whose members openly support the Palestinian cause.

A Gantz coalition of his centrist party combined with Israel Beiteinu and the left-wing Labor coalition would have only 47 seats, requiring the 15 votes of the Arab parties to get a majority.

The Joint List would agree to keep a Gantz minority coalition in power by not voting with the right-wing parties against it in Knesset votes. In return, Gantz  promised to form “a government that will serve all Israeli citizens, Jews and Arabs, and act to prevent a fourth election campaign.”

Protestor Shimon Golaventziz, whose son David fell in an IDF operation in Judea and Samaria, said forming a government with “people who are behind the killers of our children” was out of the question.

“We are the representatives of the sane voices in Israel. Everyone identifies with us,”  Golaventziz said. “We will do everything we can to prevent this.”

Following the meeting with the Blue and White leader, Joint List Chairman Ayman Odeh listed the conditions Gantz would have to meet to get Arab support. Those included an end to Jews visiting the Temple Mount, the holiest site in Judaism, and no Israeli implementation of any parts of President Donald Trump’s peace plan without Palestinian approval.

Odeh also said that eventually half of Israel’s capital should be given over for the capital of a future Palestinian state, but his party would not push that demand at present.

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