Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that he sees no option to form a government supported by the United Arab List, after the Arab-Israeli party voted against its bloc on Monday in a pivotal vote in the Knesset. Netanyahu stated that the only option to avoid his opponents taking power or heading to a fifth election is for Gideon Saar to retract his promise to refuse joining the Likud leader, or to hold special elections for the prime minister directly, a proposal that has been put forward in recent days and criticized by many, according to the "Times of Israel."
Netanyahu said at a press conference: "We do not need the United Arab List. We need direct elections so that we can form a government." However, the direct election proposal seems doomed to failure, as officials from the United Arab List said on Tuesday that "it is unlikely that the party will support the idea." Amid the ongoing stalemate after the elections, the Knesset voted against a proposal put forth by Likud to represent the party in the transitional arrangements committee on Monday when the United Arab List voted with the opposition.
The Arab-Israeli party then supported a counter-proposal from the opposition, giving the anti-Netanyahu bloc a majority in the committee. The cooperation of the United Arab List with Lapid came after both blocs attempted to win the party's favor in negotiations to form a government. Netanyahu had hoped to form a right-wing government relying on support from the United Arab List from outside, but the idea was rejected by the far-right Religious Zionism party, which has repeatedly stated it "will not join a government coalition based on cooperation with Arab parties."
As his chances of forming a coalition fade, Netanyahu is now supporting an initiative for direct elections for the prime minister which would prevent Yair Lapid, the leader of Yesh Atid, from taking the premiership and avert a fifth consecutive election. Netanyahu stated: "There is a solution to the impasse, which is direct elections for the prime minister to allow the public to decide who will lead the country. It is currently impossible to form a right-wing government due to personal issues."
Lapid immediately rejected Netanyahu's proposal, writing on Twitter: "Netanyahu, the State of Israel does not need another election. This is not a direct election; it is a way to buy time at the public's expense." If Netanyahu fails to form a government by May 4, the Israeli president will need to assign a second candidate or return the mandate to the Knesset to appoint another deputy for that.
