Muwafiq al-Hib, head of the Tuba Zangaria local council, told Radio al-Nass on Wednesday that a statement published by the Yashar party was inaccurate. Al-Hib said Bedouin officials did not announce support for MK Gadi Eisenkot, but demanded that the Arab party Ra'am be included in the next government, and that Eisenkot promised to do so.
Muwafiq al-Hib, head of the Tuba Zangaria local council, told Radio al-Nass on Wednesday that the Yashar party's characterization of Bedouin officials' position was "inaccurate." According to al-Hib, the local leaders did not announce support for MK Gadi Eisenkot's party, but rather demanded that the Arab party Ra'am be included in the next government. He added that Eisenkot promised them he would do so.
The statement comes shortly after reports emerged that Bedouin local officials in the north had pledged support for Eisenkot, a claim the Yashar party immediately dismissed as "an absolute lie" earlier today. Al-Hib now offers the officials' own version: they made a demand for Ra'am's inclusion, not a blanket endorsement.
The exchange highlights the sensitive politics around Arab-Jewish coalition-building in the current election cycle. Eisenkot's Yashar party has positioned itself as a "Zionist conscription" alternative, but its relationship with Ra'am — an Arab party with Islamist roots — remains a flashpoint. The Bedouin officials' demand for Ra'am's inclusion and Eisenkot's reported promise indicate ongoing backchannel negotiations over the shape of a potential post-election coalition.
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