Binyamin Netanyahu
Binyamin NetanyahuOlivier Fitoussi/Flash90

Sources close to Prime Minister Netanyahu stated that he is not ruling out working with the United Arab List (Raam) to form a coalition after yesterday's election yielded no clear winner.

Kan 11 reported that Netanyahu's associates fear that the anti-Netanyahu bloc will recruit UAL chairman Mansour Abbas to replace the Speaker of the Knesset, and they are trying to prevent such a scenario from taking place.

The transfer of the position of Speaker of the Knesset to the bloc to replace Netanyahu would threaten the prime minister's control of the Knesset and legislative apparatus, and raise the possibility of personal legislation against the prime minister.

The report states that Netanyahu's opponents have already begun to act in an attempt to enact a law that will prevent the a candidate under indictment from being tasked with forming a government. Yesh Ayid chairman Yair Lapid and Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman are leading the move in the bloc and have already talked to other party leaders about it. They are even considering replacing the Knesset Speaker in coordination with them.

Earlier, Likud MK David Bitan did not rule out the possibility of the Likud working together with Mansour Abbas.

In an interview with Reshet Bet, Bitan said: "Even if they want to do something with Abbas, once the left has a 61-59 advantage, the pressure on him will be very great. But if the results are 60-60 and he does not want more elections, because he has made a great achievement, it will be easier for him to do things for the sake of what he truly believes in. There is a difference between coming to us and getting along with us."

MK Bitan added that "for the benefit of the state, cooperation will not cause harm" and that "the southern faction of the Islamic Movement is not like the northern one, it is moderate, and we must know how to compromise."