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A tough coalition battle is taking shape in Israel as political parties race to form the next government. Ra'am, an Arab-led Islamist party representing Arab citizens of Israel, has signalled that it could take a major step towards joining the anti-Netanyahu bloc by recognising Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas has told members of the bloc that he is prepared to make the recognition in return for what he described as a "genuine partnership" with other Israeli parties, according to Hebrew-language media reports.
This could help remove one of the biggest hurdles to Ra'am joining the coalition being assembled by Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot, who has made recognition of Hamas as a terrorist organisation one of his conditions for coalition participation.
The development comes after Israel's president Isaac Herzog tapped Eisenkot, who is a former military chief and prominent opponent of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to try to form the next government following elections in which Netanyahu's bloc remained the largest force but failed to secure a governing majority.
EISENKOT'S COALITION CHALLENGE
Eisenkot now faces the difficult task of bringing together parties with sharply different political positions. His anti-Netanyahu camp needs enough support to cross the 61-seat threshold required to form a government in the 120-member Knesset. That makes smaller parties, including Arab and ultra-Orthodox factions, potentially important in the coalition negotiations.
Ra'am has eight seats, while the Joint List, another Arab-majority party, has 11. The ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism has seven seats and Shas has six.
For Abbas, the reported willingness to recognise Hamas could therefore be an attempt to overcome a political barrier that has previously kept Ra'am outside broader coalition arrangements. Democrats leader Yair Golan appeared to acknowledge the possibility of such negotiations when asked about the reports during his faction's weekly meeting.
"I don't think recognition will be an obstacle for Abbas and negotiations will take place," he said, as quoted by The Times of Israel.
Abbas himself was more cautious. He declined to discuss specific negotiations at his faction meeting but reiterated Ra'am's position on Hamas and terrorism.
"We want to be part of the coalition and the next government," Abbas said. "That is a basic right."
ABBAS SOFTENS KEY OBSTACLE
Ra'am has previously avoided explicitly describing Hamas as a terrorist organization. He said his party had repeatedly accepted the dismantlement of Hamas under US President Donald Trump's peace plan. He also stressed that Ra'am rejects terrorism.
The issue matters because Eisenkot has sought clear positions from potential coalition partners on Hamas, particularly given the political and security landscape following the war. A formal recognition by Ra'am could therefore give Eisenkot greater room to negotiate with Abbas while allowing the Arab party to argue that it is seeking political participation without abandoning its existing opposition to terrorism.
But even if that hurdle is removed, other disagreements remain.
LIBERMAN REJECTS ARAB-BACKED GOVERNMENT
The biggest complication for Eisenkot, however, may come from another direction. Yisrael Beytenu leader Avigdor Liberman has said he will not join a minority government that depends on outside support from Ra'am and the Joint List. That position could make it harder for Eisenkot to build a coalition even if Abbas agrees to the Hamas condition.
Liberman has instead pushed for cooperation with the ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism. But that creates another major fault line.
Liberman has long demanded an end to broad military draft exemptions for the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, community. The Haredi parties, meanwhile, want any new government to preserve those exemptions.
Meanwhile, the political divide deepened on Tuesday as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned that the country could soon face international pressure to accept a nuclear-armed Iran, while calling for a national unity government to confront the threat.
Speaking in the Knesset, Netanyahu said Iran was seeking to rebuild its nuclear capabilities and argued that Israel's long-term security depended on removing the threat at its source.
NETANYAHU'S WARNING ON IRAN
Netanyahu said Israel could soon come under pressure to accept Iran as a nuclear power and tolerate what he described as a regime determined to destroy Israel. He argued that the Knesset must put political differences aside and form a broad unity government capable of responding to the security challenges facing the country.
According to Netanyahu, "the only way to permanently remove this existential threat is through the downfall of the Ayatollah regime".
His remarks immediately drew criticism from opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, who accused Netanyahu of using the Knesset platform to deepen political divisions rather than unite the country.
Eisenkot called the speech "delusional, divisive, hate-filled, and shameful" and said it reinforced his belief that Netanyahu was no longer fit to remain prime minister. He also called for the formation of a national emergency government, arguing that Netanyahu's continued leadership posed a risk to Israel's security.
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