A leaked conversation between Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadah reveals how Abbas is already preparing to form the next coalition and dividing up roles for the day after the elections. In the recorded conversation, Abbas described to Abu Shehadah—who withdrew from the race for the 26th Knesset but remains involved in political maneuvering—his plan for forming the government: “We want to take two mandates from you so we can form the government, and you’ll be the safety net.”
The recording highlights the contradictory messages within the “change bloc” surrounding the question of Ra’am’s inclusion in the next government. On one hand, Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot has declared that Ra’am will not be part of a government he leads. On the other hand, his potential partners in the bloc present a completely opposite position: Democrats chairman Yair Golan has already stated that sitting with Ra’am in government is “natural, correct, and proper,” and Yoav Seglovitz, positioned second on Ra’am’s list, even determined that Eisenkot will have no option to form a government without Abbas’s party.
These statements clearly illustrate the political trap of the “anyone but Bibi” bloc: while Eisenkot declares he won’t sit with Ra’am, other senior figures in the bloc leave the door open to partnership with them. According to polls, Ra’am is expected to win about five mandates—which could be decisive in coalition calculations for the bloc. Thus, alongside the public declarations, the question is sharpening whether the bloc’s leaders will stand behind their words when the results come in after the elections, or whether in the moment of truth they’ll lean on Abbas’s party to try to form a government.