Shaked reveals: Netanyahu asked Bennett for Abbas-backed gov't

Former interior minister Ayelet Shaked has revealed that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu actively worked to form a government with the backing of Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra'am party, and personally asked Naftali Bennett to advance the plan. In an interview with Channel 13's "Asenheim" program, set to air Thursday night, Shaked said Netanyahu presented Abbas as a serious and courageous leader with whom it was possible to work, and that only Bezalel Smotrich's opposition ultimately prevented the government from being formed.

Shaked recounted a conversation between Netanyahu and Bennett after the 2021 elections, when the bloc led by Netanyahu had 59 mandates and Gideon Sa'ar refused to join. According to Shaked, Netanyahu told Bennett: "Listen, we have 59 mandates, Gideon Sa'ar is not willing to come in under any circumstances, and we have no choice, we must form a government with Mansour Abbas, and don't worry, Mansour Abbas is a serious man, he's a leader, he's brave, it's possible to form a government with him."

Shaked confirmed that Netanyahu indeed demanded Bennett advance the plan, and said that immediately after the meeting, Bennett called her and said: "Listen, we need to form a government with Mansour Abbas."

The former minister said the possibility of forming a government with Ra'am's support did not surprise her at the time: "We knew, it was no longer a secret, it wasn't a surprise." Shaked added that Channel 14 also began preparing the public for the move in those days, and that Netanyahu even asked her and Bennett to speak with Religious Zionist rabbis to advance and soften the ground for forming the government.

Addressing the repeated denials from Netanyahu and his circle that he intended to rely on Abbas, Shaked stated firmly: "Yes, there's nothing to deny here, that was the reality." She went on to emphasize: "That was the plan, he had no other plan. I tried to bring in Gideon Sa'ar without success, and at a certain point Smotrich simply put the brakes on it."