Democrats chairman Yair Golan stated he believes an Arab party should be included in the next government while speaking to Kan Reshet Bet on Sunday.
“My position is well known. We are working internally to ensure appropriate Arab representation, and we also believe that an Arab party can be part of the government,” he said.
“It is natural, right, appropriate, democratic, and in my view reflects how genuine change can be brought about after years of incitement.”
Golan’s statement came after he and three additional Opposition party leaders - Gadi Eisenkot (Yashar), Naftali Bennett (B’Yachad), and Avigdor Liberman (Yisrael Beytenu) - met to sign a document agreeing on shared principles, pledging to work together ahead of the October elections.
The joint document, signed by the party leaders on Saturday night, included a commitment to work together to increase voter turnout, a pledge not to launch attacks against each other, and a plan to formulate principles for the next government.
The meeting was held at opposition leader Yair Lapid’s house. Lapid holds the second slot on the B’Yachad slate. Arab party leaders were not invited to the meeting.
Opposition bloc leaders tighten coordination even with disagreements over election strategy
The meeting came as the bloc’s leaders seek to tighten coordination while grappling with disagreements over election strategy, the identity of the candidate who will lead the camp, and possible paths toward forming a government after the elections. Some of those disagreements have already spilled into the public arena in recent weeks.
Eisenkot and Liberman met at Yashar’s offices on Wednesday, their second meeting in about two weeks.
Eisenkot addressed coordination within the camp on Wednesday, telling 103FM, “There are weekly meetings to coordinate between the parties, and there are also substantive disagreements. We have a common goal, and I am certain it will be expressed by the elections and will lead to us defeating this failed government.”
Keshet Neev contributed to this report.