Overview
- Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas declared at his party conference that “the State of Palestine exists” and said Israel and the United States must formally recognize it as the basis for resolving the conflict.
- Abbas said Ra’am will pursue recognition, reconciliation and an end to the occupation by influencing policy from within Israel’s political system and by preparing its own electoral slate.
- Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and MK Gadi Eisenkot both rejected the demand, with Netanyahu saying no Palestinian state will be allowed while he is prime minister and Eisenkot ruling out a Palestinian state under a government he would form.
- The Choosing Life Forum criticized Abbas and pointed to past investigations alleging links between Ra’am-affiliated groups and the Islamic Movement and Hamas, heightening security and victim-group objections.
- Politically, Ra’am is running separately as Hadash, Ta’al and Balad have agreed to form a joint list, and Abbas said he will retire at the end of the next Knesset term, creating a new dynamic in Arab Israeli politics and coalition arithmetic.