Mansour Abbas's Revolution in Ra'am: Breaking Old Alliances and Aiming for Pragmatism
Contacts between Mansour Abbas and Yoav Segalovitz have stirred Israeli politics. Ra'am is undergoing a major reform, separating from the Islamic Movement and moving toward independent primaries.
The contacts between Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas and former Deputy Minister of Public Security Yoav Segalovitz stirred the political system over the weekend. The report by Nahum Barnea in Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth regarding the possibility of Segalovitz joining the party's list sparked conflicting reactions: on the right, it was claimed that this is a move aimed at legitimizing Ra'am's entry into a future coalition, while in the center-left bloc, they saw it as an attempt to differentiate it from other Arab parties and establish it as a pragmatic governing party.
Segalovitz is currently a Knesset member for Yesh Atid, and according to sources familiar with the details, his contacts with Abbas took place with the knowledge of party chairman Yair Lapid. The former deputy minister gave his principled consent to join the list, but the final decision lies with Abbas, within whose party there are also voices of reservation regarding the inclusion of a Jewish candidate.
Over the weekend, it seemed that Abbas was seeking to cool the enthusiasm. In a statement published in Arabic, he emphasized that it is too early to deal with the question of joining new figures. "Ra'am is focused at this stage on convening the general conference on August 22, organizing the primaries, and completing the establishment of the party's institutions," he wrote. He argued that any decision on a political alliance will be made only after examining the electoral feasibility, and only if it serves Ra'am's goals: replacing the government, joining a future coalition, and promoting the handling of crime, violence, home demolitions, racism, and civil equality.
Against the backdrop of these political contacts, Ra'am is undergoing what appears to be the most significant change since its inception: for the first time, it has separated from the Shura Council and the Islamic Movement as the deciding institutions in party matters, and will hold primaries to choose its candidates for the Knesset. In a conversation with Ynet on Sunday, Abbas mentioned that the party seeks to establish an independent democratic mechanism that will allow its members to choose their candidates without the involvement of religious institutions.
Regarding the future of the Arab sector, Abbas ruled out the renewal of the Joint List: "The option of a joint list of four parties is off the table. There is talk of a list of Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad, and Ra'am will run alone."
