Political newcomer Dedy Simhi said Sunday that his emerging alliance with Blue and White chief Benny Gantz would be prepared to join a coalition with everyone except for the Arab parties.

Asked by Army Radio if the alliance would sit with National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir’s far-right Otzma Yehudit party, Simhi said: “We’ll sit with everyone. We’re not boycotting anyone, except for the Arab parties in their present form… which care more about the Palestinian population and don’t represent the Arab population in Israel.”

This was “settled” despite Gantz’s past rejection of Ben Gvir as a potential coalition partner, said Simhi.

Most of the current opposition parties reject sitting not only with Ben Gvir, but also with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Simhi specified that his rejection of Arab parties extended to the traditionalist Ra’am, which was part of the 2021-2022 government formed by Blue and White and other parties opposed at the time to Netanyahu.

Simhi also said the alliance would seek a unity government. If it could clinch a Knesset majority for either Netanyahu’s bloc or the Zionist opposition bloc, then Gantz and Simhi would go with the larger bloc only if it makes a “proper and honorable” proposal for a unity government that the smaller side rejects, Simhi said.

Asked whom he would prefer to see become premier, Simhi declined to........

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