Israeli Coalition Politics: Yisrael Beiteinu Rules Out Ra'am

Knesset member Julia Malinovsky of the Yisrael Beiteinu party addressed the upcoming Israeli elections on Tuesday, firmly ruling out any scenario in which Mansour Abbas would participate in the next government. Speaking with radio host Gadi Nes on Radio Tzafon 104.5FM, Malinovsky expressed confidence that her political camp would secure a majority exceeding the minimum 61 seats needed to form a coalition.

"Mansour Abbas will not be part of the government," she stated categorically. She went on to predict a dramatic shift in the political landscape: "I'm certain there will be a turnaround here in the style of '77," she said, referring to the historic 1977 election that saw the Likud party come to power for the first time. "I don't need to consider the option of Mansour Abbas because it's not relevant. We'll get more than 61. I feel it and I see it."

Abbas leads Ra'am, an Arab-Israeli party that made history by joining the previous coalition government, a move that sparked controversy and debate about the role of Arab parties in Israeli governance.

During the interview, she also addressed the contentious issue of military conscription, taking an unequivocal stance that service should be mandatory for all citizens. "We'll make a draft law for all of us. Everyone will enlist. Everyone will serve. There are no exceptions," she declared. "The blood of one soldier is not better than the blood of a yeshiva student or another soldier."

Earlier in the program, Malinovsky launched a sharp attack on Knesset member Moshe Abutbul of the ultra-Orthodox Shas party, who had been interviewed by Nes just before her. While prefacing her remarks by noting she typically avoids personal criticism, Malinovsky proceeded to question Abutbul's legislative record and effectiveness as a parliamentarian.

"I generally don't refer to people personally, but in all the years that he and I have been in the Knesset, I don't recall from this person one thing, half a thing, a comma of a thing that he did, or that I heard he was involved in anything substantive," she said. "Let him do an accounting of what he's done for the public."

She then drew a comparison between Abutbul's work and that of her party leader, Avigdor Lieberman, who previously served as defense minister and finance minister. "Lieberman at least is busy with something. What does Shas do, and Moshe Abutbul in particular? I have serious doubts," she said.