Economy Minister Orna Barbivay (Yesh Atid), a retired major general in the Israeli army, has refused to rule out the possibility that her party will rely on the Hadash-Ta’al List to form a government.

In an interview with Israel’s “Meet the Press,” Barbivay was asked “how a government which relies on the Hadash and Ta’al List 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 Hadash-Ta’al List,” she said.

Daycare center workers protest in front of the Economy Minister Orna Barbivay house in Northern Tel-Aviv, August 18, 2022 (Photo: Koach Laovdim)

“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. 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,” Barbivay said.

According to a survey published by Maariv on Friday, if the Knesset election were to be held today, the far right-wing bloc led by Benjamin Netanyahu would win 61 seats, two more than an identical poll held a week ago. The Zionist center-left Lapid bloc (including Islamist Ra’am) would receive 55, two fewer than last week, and the Hadash-Ta’al partnership would win the remaining four seats. Far-right Habayit Hayehudi (Jewish Home) led by Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked and Arab Balad party are still short of the electoral threshold of 3.25%.

Related: https://maki.org.il/en/?p=30575