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Internal disunity in Blue and White over position regarding Arab parties

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Benny Gantz is scheduled to meet with Arab Joint List leader Ayman Odeh on Thursday.

By World Israel News Staff

Blue and White members were told by party leaders not to publicly rule out the option of forming a minority government with the support of the Arab Joint List, Kan Bet reports.

According to the report, several Blue and White Knesset members voiced their concerns on Monday during a meeting led by party head Benny Gantz, who requested all party members to adhere to this policy.

MK Zvi Hauser argued that such a policy will destroy the party’s chances of pursuing the option of forming a unity government with Likud.

Moshe Ya’alon, a former defense minister under Benjamin Netanyahu, insisted that internally the official policy of the party should be that only parties that support a Jewish State be included in any negotiations, but their public stance should be vague on the issue.

MK Yoaz Hendel said that forming a minority government is an ideological issue that “is not an option” and that “we need to say that out loud.”

Gantz is scheduled to meet with Arab Joint List leader Ayman Odeh on Thursday, a statement released by Blue and White said.

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Despite the Arab Joint List party’s stance on not joining an Israeli coalition, Odeh did not refuse Gantz’s invitation to meet.

“We assured out voters to do everything to replace Netanyahu and the extreme right,” Odeh said in a statement. “Every option is on the table as long as there is an alternative of peace and equality.”

Representatives of the Likud party are warning that forming a minority government that relies on the support of Arab parties is “dangerous to Israel.”

“Blue and White representatives refused to pledge that this dangerous minority government would not be formed,” they said. “Such a government would consist of 44 MKs which is supported by the Arab MKs from the opposition.”

Gantz met with Netanyahu in Tel Aviv on Sunday to discuss the possibility of forming a unity government.

In a joint statement, representatives from both parties said that during the meeting, the “two discussed the existing political options. It was also agreed that the negotiating teams will continue to be in contact.”