Yousef Jabareen, chairman of Hadash and the Joint List, said that at a meeting between Joint List leaders and representatives of European Union countries, the sides discussed the possibility of international oversight of the Knesset elections.
In an interview with Al-Nas Radio, Jabareen said Joint List leaders raised concerns at the meeting over attempts by figures linked to the right-wing government to influence the upcoming Knesset elections.
“There is always a concern that mechanisms associated with the current government will try to influence the elections (negatively), whether on Election Day or after the results are announced. Therefore, we requested European international monitoring, and the issue is currently under consideration," Jabareen said.
Jabareen noted that representatives of EU countries expressed satisfaction with the formation of the Joint List, which he said strengthens the three Arab parties - Hadash, Ta’al and Balad - politically.
He rejected the approach of Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas, who advocates joining the coalition in order to gain influence over government policy. According to Jabareen, any party that joins a coalition becomes bound by its guiding principles. Therefore, he said, the fundamental question is: “What is the government’s political platform, and does it align with my platform as a political party?"
Asked about the possibility of the Joint List providing a parliamentary safety net to an alternative coalition that would bring down the right-wing government, Jabareen did not rule it out.
Jabareen’s conditions for providing such a safety net are a genuine commitment to advancing peace with the Palestinian Arab people, changing government policy toward Arab society and Arab local authorities, and addressing discrimination.