Labor leader Merav Michaeli told Channel 12 on Wednesday that her party would consider backing Bennett for prime minister.
Ra’am, with its current tally of four seats, could secure a majority for either side and has emerged as a central player during the vote count.
Netanyahu has said he has not ruled out “parliamentary cooperation” with Ra’am, according to the Kan public broadcaster.
The report said Netanyahu fears Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas could back legislation that would bar a candidate under criminal indictment from forming a government that would effectively block Netanyahu’s path to remaining prime minister.
Netanyahu’s opponents are considering the possibility of advancing the legislation, which would require the anti-Netanyahu bloc of parties to win 61 seats, and all support the bill. Netanyahu is on trial in three graft cases.
A Wednesday report said Likud officials reached out to Abbas to ascertain if he would back the legislation barring Netanyahu from being prime minister. Citing “political sources,” the Walla news site said Abbas told Likud he wasn’t in favor of laws aimed against specific individuals, but the party’s position on the matter had not been finalized. Likud denied the report.
Ra’am and the far-right Itamar Ben Gvir ruled out joining forces in a coalition on Wednesday, denting the already slim prospects that Netanyahu could form a razor-thin majority government. Ben Gvir is set to enter the Knesset with Bezalel Smotrich’s right-wing Religious Zionism party following a deal to get him onto the slate engineered by Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out allying with Ra’am, including last week, saying the move was “out of the question,” though reports on Wednesday indicated he was considering it.
Abbas has remained evasive over potential alliances, saying on Wednesday he was not “in the pocket” of either parliamentary bloc. He said Wednesday he has not been contacted by Netanyahu.
The Likud party appeared split Wednesday morning over the possibility of forming a coalition that relied on the support of Ra’am, with lawmakers from the party making contradictory statements about the potential move.
