Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas told N12's Amit Segal that his party is disconnecting from the Islamic Movement's Shura Council, describing Ra'am as an independent party. He added that Ra'am will select its Knesset candidates through its own institutions and is working to add a Jewish candidate to the list.
Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas has made his most explicit break yet from the Islamic Movement's institutional framework, telling N12's Amit Segal that the party is disconnecting from the Shura Council and will operate as an independent party. Abbas said Ra'am would select its Knesset candidates through its own internal institutions and is working to add a Jewish candidate to the list — a move that would be unprecedented for an Arab Islamist party in Israel.
In recent weeks, Abbas has repeatedly stated that Ra'am is committed to coalition partnership and will not join a unified Arab list with Hadash, Balad, and Ta'al, which have formed a joint slate without Ra'am (as reported by The Zioneer). The separation from the Shura Council marks a further step in Ra'am's evolution toward a more independent political identity, though the party's ties to the Islamic Movement remain a matter of internal debate.
The statement was made in a phone interview with Segal, who is a senior political correspondent for N12. No further details were provided about the timeline or the identity of the proposed Jewish candidate.
- DevelopingMansour Abbas reportedly resists full Arab party unity ahead of elections
- StrongMansour Abbas: Ra'am to secure at least 7 seats, become complementary bloc to opposition
- DevelopingMansour Abbas says Ra'am on coalition path while other Arab parties head to opposition
- DevelopingKnesset to debate banning Ra'am party over alleged terror financing and ties to Hamas
Source and signal
A single-sourced dispatch is never rated Confirmed or Strong. Its Signal strengthens only when a second, independent source corroborates it.
- Internal intake