The emerging campaign claims that the Islamist Ra’am party is a legitimate partner for coalition membership and government participation. From there, the falsehoods begin.

The campaign to “legitimize” the Ra’am party as a valid partner in a governing coalition—and even as an essential partner on which the government depends—has been running vigorously in Haaretz for quite some time, and has expanded into a broader effort to legitimize all Arab parties. That, however, is not the main point of interest.

What is more noteworthy is how this narrative has spilled over into what the public perceives as Israel’s mainstream media.

Last Friday, Yedioth Ahronoth published Nahum Barnea’s regular column, in which he too appeared to join this campaign. He wrote:

“Pay attention to what I said,” Eisenkot replied. “I said a Zionist and statesmanlike government. ‘Statesmanlike’ includes the Arabs as well as the ultra-Orthodox. Anyone who joins must meet three conditions: Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; the values of the Declaration........

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