Jerusalem:Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's confidant, Natan Eshel, has reportedly made multiple attempts to contact Mansour Abbas, head of the United Arab List, to dissuade him from supporting a potential government led by Gadi Eisenkot, head of the "Yeshar" party.
According to Maan News Agency, Eshel reached out to Abbas before, during, and after the Israeli election results were announced, questioning whether the United Arab List would back Eisenkot in the Knesset. Eshel sought to persuade Abbas against such support amid Netanyahu's public campaign against forming a government reliant on Arab parties.
The initial contact between Eshel and Abbas involved discussions about the conscription law, with Abbas indicating that decisions would align with the election outcomes. Despite repeated inquiries, the United Arab List opted not to respond post-election to Eshel's questions about supporting Eisenkot.
The report highlights the inconsistency between Netanyahu's public denouncements of a government involving Arab parties and the behind-the-scenes efforts by Eshel to gauge potential support from Abbas. While Eshel initially denied these contacts, he later acknowledged discussing the matter, questioning the integrity of supporting a coalition that does not include Arab parties.
The Likud party, in response, stated that Netanyahu was unaware of these conversations, and they did not occur with his knowledge.