Yisrael Beytenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman called Tuesday morning for a semi-official boycott of the Joint Arab List by the government and Knesset.
Speaking on Army Radio, Liberman called on all Zionist parties to “boycott the Joint Arab List in the Knesset, and also that no official body or government ministry will cooperate with them.”
On the other hand, he said, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's apology to Arab representatives Tuesday was not out of place. “It is important to strengthen the moderate elements among Israeli Arabs, and it is good that he invited a moderate group, and not representatives of that party, which receives support from Qatar or elsewhere, and which is always besmirching Israel and undermining the state of Israel.”
Liberman said that Joint List Head MK Ayman Odeh should be blocked from running in the next Knesset because he refuses to denounce extremist statements by members of his party, including MK Hanin Zoabi, who called IDF soldiers "terrorists," and the List's spokesman, who recently said that ISIS takes its inspiration from Zionism.
Netanyahu offered a public apology Monday night to Israeli Arab citizens, after a controversial comment made on Election Day last Tuesday sparked outrage.
"The things I said hurt some citizens. I had no intention [to cause harm] and I'm sorry that I did. I see myself as Prime Minister of all," Netanyahu said during a meeting with Arab mayors and other officials from the Likud party.
Speaking to Arutz Sheva on election day, Netanyahu warned that "huge numbers of Arabs" were coming out to vote, adding that many were being brought to the polling booths by V-15 and other NGOs funded from abroad.