Third Blue and White MK reportedly bucks partnership with Arab party

MK Omer Yankelevitch is reportedly the third Blue and White party member to oppose partnership with the Joint List.

By Lauren Marcus, World Israel News

Blue and White party MK Omer Yankelevitch is against the establishment of a center-left government dependent on a partnership with the Arab Joint List party, reports Israel’s Channel 12 News.

The Joint List, which gained 15 seats in the last election, is an alliance of Balad, Hadash, Ta’al and the United Arab List, the main Arab-majority political parties in Israel. Headed by Ayman Odeh, the Joint List has come under fire for its anti-Zionist platform, pro-BDS stance, and praise for terrorists.

Yankelevitch joins the ranks of two other Blue and White party members, Zvi Hauser and Yoaz Hendel, who have publicly declared their opposition to cooperation with the Joint List party. It’s also been reported that additional Blue and White MKs, such as Gabi Ashkenazi and Hili Tropper, oppose the partnership. They haven’t publicly stated their disapproval.

Days ago, in an unprecedented announcement, all 15 members of the Joint List unanimously backed Blue and White leader Benny Gantz for prime minister, clearing the way for Gantz to form a minority government.

According to inside sources, Blue and White officials believe that unlike Hendel and Hauser, Yankelevitch will ultimately vote in line with her party, despite her personal objections to the Joint List partnership.

Sources close to Hauser and Hendel claim that the MKs will vote against a Gantz government backed by the Joint List, should it be brought before the Knesset, rather than abstaining from the vote or resigning from the Blue and White party.

The growing resistance within Blue and White may mean that Benny Gantz will be unable to form a minority government, even with the support of the Joint List.