Senior officials in Balad say that Prime Minister Yair Lapid had a hand in the process that led to the split of the Joint List, which resulted in Balad running separately from Hadash and Ta’al.
A senior official in Balad told Channel 13 News on Saturday night that there was a "dirty trick", as he put it, and that Lapid was fully involved.
According to the report, Balad wanted to speak with the chairman of the Joint List, Ayman Odeh, on Thursday before the election slates were submitted, but he turned off his cell phone and did not return their calls. He was only available moments before the slate was scheduled to be submitted.
Sources close to Lapid reportedly conveyed the message that he worked to ensure that Balad separated from the other two parties, and this may make it easier for him in future collaborations with Odeh and Ahmed Tibi.
The report stated that Yesh Atid will look into how to increase the voter percentage in the Arab sector so that Hadash and Ta’al do not find themselves below the electoral threshold.