Mansour Abbas wants to wait for calm before resuming negotiations
on formation of a government.

The chairman of the Ra’am Party, MK Mansour Abbas, announced on Monday evening that the negotiations on the formation of a government have been halted in light of the escalation in the south, the launching of rockets at Israel and the riots in Jerusalem.

A senior Ra’am official told Kan 11 News that they do not know if they will be able to resume negotiations before Yair Lapid’s mandate to form a government expires, and that this depends on the extent of the escalation.

Earlier on Monday, Abbas canceled a tripartite meeting with Lapid and Naftali Bennett. The meeting was scheduled to take place at 4:30 p.m., before the rocket attacks from Gaza toward Israel began.

MK Bezalel Smotrich reacted cynically to the announcement of Ra’am, saying, “Shocking, the cute Ra’am which was legitimized here as a partner in the government identifies with its movement – its sister Hamas in Gaza?!”

“We have not been surprised like this in a long time … We’re lucky that it is happening now and what is being delayed is irresponsible negotiations and not a sovereign government in Israel or an operational activity to fight terrorism.”

Smotrich, the chairman of the Religious Zionist Party, called on Bennett and Gideon Sa’ar to form an emergency government of the parties in the national camp: “Put everything aside and let’s form an emergency government of the national camp today. Everything else will wait.”

Turning to Ayelet Shaked, Smotrich said, “Come with us to an emergency government of the national camp and together we can return the determination to the State of Israel.”

(Arutz 7)