Occupied Jerusalem – Zaytoun News
The head of Israel’s United Arab List (Ra’am) party and Knesset member Mansour Abbas announced on Monday that his party will, for the first time, open its doors to Jewish candidates and formally present itself as a civil party open to all Israelis, both Arabs and Jews.
In an interview with Israel’s 103FM radio station, Abbas said that Ra’am is currently working to establish independent party institutions in order to transform it into a civil political framework that any citizen of Israel can join and through which they can run on the party’s Knesset list.
He expressed his desire to expand the party’s ranks within Jewish society as well, noting that this could include the inclusion of Jewish politicians in the future, although he did not mention any specific potential candidates.
According to Abbas, the goal of this transformation is to strengthen the party’s influence and broaden its reach to encompass wider segments of Israeli society, giving it a civil character rather than limiting it to representing only the Arab community.
The roots of the United Arab List trace back to the Islamic Movement within the Palestinian community in Israel, specifically its southern branch, which since the mid-1990s chose to pursue parliamentary participation within Israel’s political institutions.
The party was established in its current form in 1996 and took part in the Knesset elections for the first time that same year. Its political discourse combined Islamic religious reference points with pragmatic political engagement, with a clear focus on issues affecting the Arab community in Israel.
In contrast to the northern branch of the Islamic Movement which was later outlawed and rejected participation in the Knesset, Ra’am adopted an approach centered on exerting influence from within the political system. It argued that improving the conditions of Palestinians inside Israel requires engagement in parliamentary politics and direct negotiation with successive governments. This approach was reflected in the party’s positions, which tended to distance themselves from the traditional nationalist rhetoric adopted by other Arab parties.
A pivotal moment in the party’s history came in 2021, when Mansour Abbas decided to support an Israeli government led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, making Ra’am the first Arab party to effectively participate in a governing coalition. This decision marked an unprecedented shift in Arab politics within Israel and sparked widespread debate, with supporters viewing it as a political achievement, while critics considered it a crossing of red lines and a normalization of Israeli policies.
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