Yousef Jabareen, chairman of the Hadash party, expressed optimism regarding the progress of negotiations to form a joint ticket comprising the four Arab parties.
Three Arab parties – Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad – have already reached an agreement to run together and have invited Ra’am to join the alliance.
In an interview with Hala TV, Jabareen noted that the three parties are fully aligned on their political platform and the vital importance of preventing a right-wing victory in the elections. He emphasized that they are ready to negotiate terms with Ra’am. These terms include maintaining the Joint List strictly as a technical bloc for election purposes, upholding the principle of pluralism, and deferring the division of roles until after the elections – effectively accepting the possibility that Ra’am might join a center-left ruling coalition.
Jabareen pointed out that the Arab public strongly favors political unity ahead of the elections. The objective of the Joint List is to boost Arab voter turnout and secure at least 15 Knesset seats.
He added that decisive talks with Ra’am regarding its integration into the ticket are scheduled for next weekend, stating he does not believe the remaining issues present an insurmountable barrier to an agreement.
Furthermore, Jabareen noted that he accepts Ra’am’s position that it could break away from the Joint List after the elections, depending on the political landscape.
The unresolved issues at the center of next week’s talks between Ra’am and the three other Arab parties will focus on determining the party leader, the candidate roster, each faction’s seat share, and the management of the election campaign.
In any case, Jabareen stressed that no more than two Arab slates should run in the elections to prevent wasting votes, especially given the lack of a surplus-vote agreement for a standalone faction.
Addressing criticism over the absence of a woman among Hadash’s top four realistic spots, Jabareen assured that a slot would be reserved for a female candidate in future elections.
Source link
