Ra'am's Knesset list determined: Where will Seglovich be placed — and the jab from Eisenkot

The United Arab List (Ra'am) held its vote today (Saturday) for its list to the Knesset. The results did not present any particular surprises. Following party chairman Mansour Abbas, Walid Taha will be placed, in the third spot on the list is Walid al-Huashla, and Iman Khatib-Yasin and Yasser Hujeirat close out the top five.

Negotiations between Abbas and Yoav Seglovich have been continuing with increased intensity in recent days. As long as the two succeed in agreeing on the terms for his joining, Seglovich is expected to be placed in the second spot on the list.

Abbas summarized the party's choice by saying:

"The list will want to be the complementary part that will ensure the fall of the right and the replacement of the extreme-right and racist government with a government in which we will be a part."

In the Joint Arab List, they called on Ra'am to promote cooperation ahead of the elections: "We invite the members of Ra'am to act in coordination, in order to increase the voting rate in the Arab society, and to promote a surplus vote agreement between the two lists, with the goal of maximizing the power of the Arab society in the Knesset," said Joint List candidate, Jafar Farah.

Earlier today, in remarks he made during the conference, Abbas said, among other things: "We, the Arab citizens in Israel, constitute a bridge for achieving peace. The State of Palestine exists and is recognized by most countries of the world, except for the United States and Israel, and we want them to recognize it, and to act for the sake of peace, reconciliation, and the end of the occupation and the conflict."

With the end of the Sabbath, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded to the remarks:

"As long as I am Prime Minister, a Palestinian state controlled by Iran will not be established: not in Gaza, and not in Judea and Samaria. Period. The price of a left-wing coalition with the Muslim Brotherhood is exposed again. These are the partners of Eisenkot, Lieberman, and Tropper, who boycott Likud voters but welcome the supporters of Tibi and Balad."

Chairman of the "Yashar!" party, Gadi Eisenkot, also addressed the remarks in a post on the X network:

"There is no Palestinian state, and in the government we will form, a Palestinian state will not be established."

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir also responded to Abbas's words: "Listen to Mansour, the friend of Gadi, Naftali, and Yair, at the Ra'am conference: 'The State of Palestine exists.' This is his plan for the next government. To establish a terror state and return all the conditions I cancelled for his friends in the prisons."

In Ra'am, they emphasized that their aspiration is to topple the current government and replace it "with a new government of change in which Ra'am will be a partner, in order to serve the urgent issues of the Arab society."

Abbas added further and addressed the political participation: "Ra'am has put Israeli democracy to a real test, and the issue of an Arab list joining a coalition has become a serious political reality on the table."