Economy Minister Orna Barbivay (Yesh Atid) has refused to rule out the possibility that her party will rely on the Joint Arab List to form a government.
In an interview with Israel's "Meet the Press," Barbivay was asked how a government which relies on the Joint Arab List - now comprised only of Hadash and Ta'al - would handle a threat from Hezbollah.
"Aren't you sick of this question? In an interview with Kikar Hashabbat the Prime Minister said that he will not sit with the Joint Arab List. Throughout the years the Joint Arab List, when there was a need to vote on laws in the Knesset, joined [the vote]," she said.
When the interviewer noted that there is a dramatic difference between being helped by them in parliamentary votes and forming a government based on their votes, Barbivay responded, "I want to remind you that also with Ra'am (the United Arab List - ed.) - there were those who ruled them out and said, 'Of course not,' when they held negotiations with them behind the scenes. I am saying: We will not sit with the Joint Arab List. Are you asking me who they will recommend? I have no idea."
Regarding Otzma Yehudit chair MK Itamar Ben-Gvir, who is running in a joint list with Religious Zionism, Barbivay said, "Ben-Gvir is dangerous to the stateliness, to a Jewish and democratic state, to the place of women in politics and in general in the public space. We do not forget who Ben-Gvir is. When you ask me specifically, I answer you specifically. I do not support the Joint Arab List, I do not believe in their values, certainly [I] want a Jewish and democratic state. We will do everything in order to form a balanced government for the sake of the Israeli public."
When asked whether Yesh Atid would allow Defense Minister Benny Gantz, chairman of the National Unity party, to be the first prime minister in a rotation deal, or whether the haredi parties would join Yesh Atid in forming a coalition, Barbivay said, "We are focused first and foremost on ensuring that Yesh Atid is the largest party in the coalition, and we want to grow it significantly. We have no doubt that if we want to form the next government, we want to be the largest and most significant, and that [Prime Minister Yair] Lapid, as prime minister, will have greater abilities. The larger and more varied Yesh Atid is, the more it will be able to make connections from the center, with all of the Zionist parties, and form a partnership for cooperation."