In a Facebook post on Tuesday morning, MK Yair Lapid (Blue & White) backed away from previous assurances given during the election campaign and said that his party intends to establish a narrow minority government with the support of the Arab Joint List.
“I admit that this is not the government that we wanted,” Lapid wrote. “But it is far superior to the current paralysis. Such a government could make a budget, the government ministries would go back to work … and we can avoid mass layoffs in the economy.”
In his post, Lapid insisted that his preferred option is a unity government: “This is what we always wanted, and is what we would do today … with Gantz [as prime minister] first, as Netanyahu is facing a court case … The problem is that there’s no one to talk to. Bibi doesn’t want a unity government … which is why he’s pushing for a fourth round of elections, to try to get a coalition that will save him from prison. So, what’s left? Just two options, one hard, the second a disaster. They are either:
“Establish a narrow government with Yisrael Beytenu and Labor [and Meretz], leaving the door open for a unity government [with Likud]. Contrary to all the lies Bibi is spreading, the Joint [Arab List] will not be part of this government. They will vote once on the outside, and that will be an end of it. Bibi has cooperated with them in a similar way thousands of times …
“Or, we can go to a fourth round of elections, like Bibi wants … more elections, more hatred … What’s best for the State of Israel?”