Yair Golan confirms coalition talks with Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas

Yair Golan has confirmed that he is in negotiations with Mansour Abbas, the leader of the Arab Islamist party Ra'am, according to a news alert from the Israeli news site Ynet, which said Golan had verified its own earlier report of the talks. Shortly afterwards, Ynet reported that Abbas had not denied the story either, and quoted him as saying his party seeks to be part of the coalition and the government.

Abbas made further remarks on the day the 26th Knesset, Israel's parliament, held its swearing-in. N12, a major Israeli television news outlet, carried his comments as relayed by political correspondent Amit Segal: Abbas said the bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu would become the opposition in the Knesset within a few hours, that Ra'am would keep advancing the effort to replace the government, and that it aims to sit in the next one. Segal's own channel published the same three points.

Who the main figures are

Mansour Abbas chairs Ra'am, also known in English as the United Arab List. The party draws its support mainly from Arab citizens of Israel and has its roots in the southern branch of the Islamic Movement. Under Abbas, Ra'am broke with the long-standing practice of Arab parties staying outside Israeli governments and became the first independent Arab party to join a governing coalition, in the government headed in turn by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid.

Yair Golan is a former deputy chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) who now leads the Democrats, a centre-left party formed by merging Labor and Meretz. His confirmation of the talks places him among the figures working on an alternative to a government led by Netanyahu, who heads the Likud party.

The Hamas question

One issue raised alongside the talks was whether Abbas would formally declare Hamas a terrorist organisation. Segal framed the question by saying Abbas had repeatedly dodged it. Asked about it, Golan said he did not think the matter was an obstacle for Abbas, adding that he believes "all the declarations will come as a result of the negotiations." Golan did not say what declarations he expected or when.

For an Israeli audience, the question carries weight because Arab parties that seek a role in government are often pressed by Jewish partners and opponents to state their positions on Hamas, the Islamist group that rules Gaza and that Israel, the United States and the European Union treat as a terrorist organisation.

What a swearing-in day means

The swearing-in session is the first sitting of a newly elected Knesset, at which members take their oath of office. It does not by itself create a government. In Israel's parliamentary system, a government takes office only after a candidate assembles a coalition that wins a confidence vote in the Knesset, and negotiations between parties typically continue after the new parliament convenes.

Abbas's statement that Netanyahu's bloc would be in opposition within hours is his own characterisation. The reports do not explain what event he expected to bring that about, and none of them reports a confidence vote or a signed coalition agreement.

How the reports line up

The accounts come from three outlets and broadly agree. Ynet reported both Golan's confirmation and Abbas's non-denial, with Abbas's quote referring to the "coalition and the government." Segal and N12 carried Abbas's wording about the "next government," along with his prediction about the opposition. N12's item is attributed to Segal, so the Abbas quotes in those two reports trace back to a single source. Golan's remarks on Hamas appear only in Segal's report.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports describes the substance of the negotiations, including what Ra'am is asking for or what it might be offered. They do not name the other parties involved in the effort to replace the government, and no response from Netanyahu or Likud has been reported. Abbas himself has not been reported as answering whether he will declare Hamas a terrorist organisation.