Modi'in Mayor Haim Bibas calls for Netanyahu-Eisenkot unity government, warns against new elections

Modi'in-Maccabim-Reut Mayor Haim Bibas called for a broad national unity government led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot following inconclusive election results, warning against another round of elections and calling for a thorough investigation into allegations of Qatari funding in Israel's Arab sector, he told 103FM.

The election results failed to produce a clear victory for either political bloc. Will politicians seek to form a unity government? Bibas, who also serves as chairman of the Federation of Local Authorities in Israel, spoke with Eli Ohana and Barak Seri on 103FM about the election results and addressed allegations of foreign Qatari funding within the Arab sector.

Bibas addressed the controversy surrounding alleged Qatari funding within Arab society on election day and drew his conclusions.

"Justice Solberg made a very correct decision, especially in light of what the Shin Bet said. This needs to be investigated thoroughly. Any foreign money entering the country with the aim of creating chaos within the State of Israel requires us to address the problem at its root," he said.

"We must not give up or stop. Qatar is active not only in Israel but also in the US, and everywhere it is working to create chaos. We do not want to become Paris. We see what is happening in Paris and what is happening in Barcelona. We must not reach that point. All these warning signs should alert everyone. Even if we hold another election, we will end up in the same place. This is the time for broad national unity, with shared goals concerning the economy, security and military enlistment. We are not living on some Riviera. We live in the Middle East."

Bibas went on to call for unity between the two political blocs, arguing that a government should have a Zionist majority and reflect the will of the people.

"There is no outright right-wing victory here, and there is no outright left-wing victory. The government must be built first and foremost on the two central pillars, Likud and Yashar! Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot. Under that framework, we need to bring in all the Zionist forces, B'Yachad, Religious Zionism, and also parts of the haredi community that understand the need to build a foundation of trust and formulate a military draft law. We need to build that structure, including the haredi parties, unequivocally."

'Build a foundation of trust'

Regarding the more extreme parties on both the Right and Left, Bibas explained:

"They always say that extremists in a broad government look for a way out. Either they understand that they need to come in and fall into line, or they will ultimately remain outside. Extremism is not what should lead us. It has brought us to where we are. Do you think Arab society turned out to vote in such large numbers for no reason? Someone made them understand that they were in a state of emergency."

Bibas then outlined his interpretation of the election results and what he believed should happen next.

"Ultimately, the number of seats won in the Arab sector leaves us with one of two possibilities: a unity government or new elections. In the end, something happened here that made it clear to everyone that there is no outright right-wing victory and no outright left-wing victory. Either we have a broad national government, or we go to another round of elections. Those are the implications of the results."

"If I were making the decision now, I would sit down with Likud representatives and Eisenkot's people to build trust and establish a joint framework, with the aim of creating a broad, national, Zionist government that would ultimately address the issues that most Israeli citizens expect us to address."

Bibas also discussed the common ground that Netanyahu and Eisenkot would need to establish.

"We need to build a foundation of trust, without a doubt. We need to establish trust with the necessary guarantees. If there is no foundation of trust, then it is new elections and goodbye to everyone. I think the interest of the other side, at this moment, before everything settles, is to build a framework with a very clear process: establishing trust, building the necessary structures and defining the central goals, and examining the issues."

"There cannot be a situation in which any segment of the public is not sharing the burden. Ultimately, that is what the entire public expects: that those who contribute and serve are placed at the top of the pyramid. It does not matter which sector they come from. When they are there, they receive the benefits, and then you build the incentive."