Jerusalem:Israeli opposition Democrats party leader Yair Golan announced that he met with United Arab List (Ra'am) leader Mansour Abbas as part of ongoing efforts to form a government to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's administration following the recent Knesset elections.

According to Anadolu Agency – English, Golan shared on US social media platform X that the meeting with Abbas aimed to quickly promote the establishment of a "government of change" and fulfill the will of the Israeli voters. The specific location of the meeting was not disclosed, and Abbas had not commented on the meeting by 1800GMT.

The meeting is part of a broader initiative by Israeli opposition leaders to establish a new government after Netanyahu's bloc did not achieve the necessary parliamentary majority for governance. Additional meetings have been reported between Golan, Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, and opposition leader Yair Lapid to coordinate political strategies post-election.

Golan has encouraged leaders of the opposition Change bloc to reevaluate their stance on collaborating with Arab parties to facilitate government formation. He supports including Ra'am in a potential coalition, in contrast to Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman, who opposes such a coalition.

Israel's public broadcaster KAN reported that vote counting is complete, showing Netanyahu's bloc with 53 seats, the Change bloc with 48, and Arab parties with 19 in the 120-member Knesset. Final results are anticipated next Wednesday after verification. Ra'am secured eight seats and the Joint List 11. The Change bloc and Arab parties collectively hold 67 seats, but the Arab parties are not formally part of the Change bloc, making an alternative government contingent on political agreements among the parties.