Israeli Arab politician Mansour Abbas, head of the United Arab List party “Ra’am,” warned of the repercussions of a victory for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his far-right allies in the parliamentary elections scheduled for October 27, 2026. He considered the continuation of this coalition in power to be “catastrophic” for Arab citizens in Israel.
In an interview with Agence France-Presse, Abbas said that the results of the upcoming elections will be crucial for the Arab minority, given the escalating political tension with far-right figures, most notably Itamar Ben-Gvir and Bezalel Smotrich.
The head of the “Ra’am” party seeks to maintain an influential position in the parliamentary landscape, capitalizing on the possibility of a close race between the competing blocs. This could give Arab parties the ability to influence the formation of the next government, especially with the emergence of Gadi Eisenkot as a potential figure in the post-election arrangements.
[Image: Archive] Abbas had already revolutionized the political participation of Arab parties when his party joined the Israeli government coalition in 2021, a move that sparked widespread debate about the viability of power-sharing and the potential for achieving civil and economic gains for the Arab community from within government institutions.
The current election campaign is witnessing an increasing use of AI-generated videos, coinciding with ongoing controversy surrounding the eligibility of some lists to run, after the Supreme Court overturned an attempt to disqualify the Ra'am party from the race.
The elections are taking place amidst political division regarding the future of the ruling coalition and its relationship with Arab citizens, whose votes and representatives' seats could become particularly important if neither of the two main blocs manages to secure a clear majority.
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