Channel 14 journalist Boaz Golan reported Wednesday evening that a local council head in northern Israel said MK Gadi Eisenkot (National Unity) told him during a meeting that he does not rule out sitting with the Ra'am party in a future coalition. The council head told Channel 14 that Eisenkot later denied making the statement, expressed regret over the denial, and insisted the conversation was documented.
On Wednesday evening, Channel 14 journalist Boaz Golan reported that Muwafiq al-Hib, head of the Tuba Zangaria local council, said MK Gadi Eisenkot (National Unity) told him during a meeting that he does not rule out sitting with the Ra'am party in a future coalition. Al-Hib told Channel 14 that Eisenkot later denied making the statement, expressed regret over the denial, and insisted the conversation was documented.
The report adds a new twist to a series of claims and denials earlier on Wednesday. At 08:58 Jerusalem, Al-Hib told Radio al-Nass that Eisenkot had pledged to include Ra'am in any coalition he leads, and that contacts to bring the party into the government were already taking place. The Yashar party, Eisenkot's faction within National Unity, called the claim 'an absolute lie.' Later that morning, Al-Hib clarified to the same station that Bedouin officials had not endorsed Eisenkot but had demanded Ra'am's inclusion, and that Eisenkot had promised to do so.
As The Zioneer reported at 16:45 Jerusalem, Eisenkot published documentation of the meeting with Bedouin leaders in an effort to refute the allegations. The documentation was presented as evidence that no discussion of coalition composition had taken place.
The exact content of the conversation remains disputed. Al-Hib maintains that the conversation was documented, while Eisenkot and his party deny any commitment to include Ra'am. No independent verification of Al-Hib's claim has been provided.
4 developments
- DevelopingEisenkot publishes documentation of meeting with Bedouin leaders to refute coalition claims
- StrongMansour Abbas declines to say whether he speaks to Eisenkot, Bennett, Lapid
- DevelopingGadi Eisenkot says coalition talks must focus on 'what yes, not what no'
- DevelopingEisenkot says again he will form a government with Arab support
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