Chairman Mtanes Shihadeh of the Balad Party has responded on Twitter to comments by Chairman Ayman Odeh of the Joint List of predominantly Arab parties that the Blue and White Party asked them to remove Balad's recommendation for Blue and White leader Benny Gantz to form the government.
Balad was the only Joint List faction not to support Gantz. Shihadeh wrote, "Our decision not to recommend Gantz was made in the party institutions immediately after the election and is a principled, consistent and independent decision that stems solely from our well-known and stated positions." He added, "Balad does not make decisions based on tactical whims, neither Blue and White's nor anyone else's."