Ayman Odeh
Ayman OdehFlash 90

Joint Arab List Chairman MK Ayman Odeh spoke on Saturday to the Israeli "Meet the Press" program, following an interview he gave the Hebrew newspaper Yediot Aharonot.

In his Yediot Aharonot interview, Odeh said he would be willing to join a center-left coalition, provided certain conditions are met.

"The ball is in [Blue and White Chairman MK Benny] Gantz's court, but he didn't toss it back - he's the stubborn one," Odeh said.

"I don't know why he's pushing it off. If he's really in favor of peace, equality, democracy, social justice - he should accept. It seems he's against them, it seems he sees me as an Arab - and that's racism. He should have been brave like me and say: 'This is my platform: I'm in favor of peace, equality.' But it looks like when faced with a choice between preserving the Nationality Law and political freeze and being prime minister, he decided to preserve the political freeze.

"I said - if Gantz has the courage to be like [former Prime Minister Yitzhak] Rabin was in the 90s, I'll have the courage and all the honor in the world to be like Tawfiq Ziad, who headed the blocking bloc in the 90s. But I said, if he wants to end the occupation, then certainly.

"If there will be serious negotiations with the Palestine Liberation Organization, like there were in the 90s, then we will be like we were in the 90s. If it advances us more to end the occupation, then we will advance even more than the 90s - that's absolutely clear."