Foreign Minister Yair Lapid acknowledged the fact that the government, now lacking a majority, will have to rely on the Arab Joint List to pass legislation, in an interview with Channel 12 News on Wednesday evening.

This led to an outcry by some of Lapid’s coalition partners from Yamina and New Hope.

Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked said that Lapid’s comments do not reflect her views. “Such a statement is completely unacceptable. I’m opposed to it  and it’s a shame it was said.”

Religious Affairs Minister Matan Kahana said that “the government will not rely on the Joint List for its existence.”

Yamina MK Abir Kara said: “In my eyes, the Joint List doesn’t exist. I have no interest in coordinating with those who are obsessed with sabotaging coexistence in Israel and supporting hatred and terror.”

Earlier this week, Yamina MK Nir Orbach complained about the issue during a meeting of coalition leaders: “How does this look, that now we’ll have to cooperate with the Joint List to pass anything? It can’t work like this.”

“There’s no choice,” coalition leaders responded.

In the course of Lapid’s interview, Channel 12 asked him whether the Joint List is better than Ozmat Yehudit chairman Itamar Ben-Gvivr, Lapid replied, “I think that the greatest danger to the State of Israel is a Ben Gvir-Bibi government because they threaten the idea that Israel is a democratic state.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)