Ra'am (United Arab List) marks a break with the tradition of Israeli Arab parties staying in opposition. Under Mansour Abbas, its leader since 2018-2019, Ra'am prefers pragmatic integration into Israeli politics, including joining the government, rather than direct confrontation. In return, it seeks concrete gains for Arab society (economic development, fighting crime, infrastructure).
On identity, Ra'am explicitly recognizes the Jewish character of the state. At the same time, it demands full civic equality for Arab citizens, an end to the occupation and a Palestinian state.
Ra'am began as the southern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel (the split was completed in 2026). It keeps conservative social positions (opposition to pro-LGBT laws), but it has moved away from the classic Arab nationalism of the Joint List.
Heads the listMansour AbbasPROVISIONAL RESULTS · counting complete
Ra'am chose not to weigh in on military decisions. So a vote for Ra'am is not a vote to influence policy in Gaza or toward Iran.
Ra'am declared opposition to the reform, without joining the opposition's joint protest movement. Ra'am avoids direct clashes with the government. Ra'am also wants a full, independent and impartial inquiry into October 7.
Ra'am accepts the Jewish character of the state as a reality, but demands full equality for Arab citizens. Mansour Abbas leads the list in 2026 and has said it will be his last run.
In 2021, in the Bennett-Lapid government, Ra'am secured a 30 billion shekel plan for Arab communities. Ra'am wants to keep going in this direction.
Ra'am calls for an end to the occupation and for the dismantling of settlements. Ra'am does not specify borders.
A reality that most of the world recognizes, except for the United States and Israel.
Since October 2023, Ra’am has called for a full ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a two-state solution; Mansour Abbas also says that Hamas, which “committed crimes”, must “pay the price”. Ra’am has not spoken specifically on the condition that Hamas be disarmed.
Srugim : מנסור עבאס קורא להפסקת אש מוחלטת · Oct 30, 2023 · source ↗Ra’am opposes the death penalty for perpetrators of attacks: the United Arab List voted against the law passed on March 30, 2026, and already answered “no” to this question in its 2019 platform.
Death Penalty for Terrorists Law (Wikipedia) · Mar 30, 2026 · source ↗Updated October 23
Sources : Fourchette calculée à partir de 4 instituts entre le 16 et le 19 octobre 2026. N12/Midgam, Maariv/Lazar Research, N13 et Kan 11/Kantar. Le détail complet par institut est disponible dans l'encart sondages de la fiche.
Compare Ra'am (United Arab List) with another partyRa'am (United Arab List) marks a break with the tradition of Israeli Arab parties staying in opposition. Under Mansour Abbas, its leader since 2018-2019, Ra'am prefers pragmatic integration into Israeli politics, including joining the government, rather than direct confrontation. In return, it seeks concrete gains for Arab society (economic development, fighting crime, infrastructure).
On identity, Ra'am explicitly recognizes the Jewish character of the state. At the same time, it demands full civic equality for Arab citizens, an end to the occupation and a Palestinian state.
Ra'am began as the southern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel (the split was completed in 2026). It keeps conservative social positions (opposition to pro-LGBT laws), but it has moved away from the classic Arab nationalism of the Joint List.
Voting for Ra'am means voting for the only Arab party that has demonstrated its willingness to join an Israeli governing coalition and trade its political support for tangible gains for Arab society.
Israel-Palestinian Conflict
Ra’am supports the two-state solution: Mansour Abbas stated in August 2026 that the State of Palestine exists and that Ra’am is working for Israel to recognize it. According to Kan, Mansour Abbas nevertheless specified that Ra’am would not make this a condition for joining a .
Security & National Defense
Ra’am opposes the for perpetrators of attacks: the United Arab List voted against the law passed on March 30, 2026, and already answered “no” to this question in its 2019 platform.
Democracy & Institutions
In October 2025, in a committee, Ra’am voted for the establishment of a into October 7; in October 2026, Ra’am is calling for a “full, independent and impartial” inquiry, without specifying the model.
Israel’s Jewish & Democratic Identity
Ra'am supports the participation of an Arab party in government: it served in the Bennett-Lapid coalition in 2021. After Gadi Eisenkot excluded Ra'am from his government (26 September 2026), Yoav Segalovitz, number 2 on the list, responded that Eisenkot “will not have a government without Ra'am”.
Economy, Welfare & Public Services
Ra’am makes public investment (infrastructure, health, education, employment) in Arab society its priority, as in its 2021 coalition agreement; no Ra’am statement on raising taxes was found.
Individual Rights & Society
Ra’am opposes rights for same-sex couples for religious reasons: Mansour Abbas left the Joint List in 2021 partly over this issue, and the 2026 agreement with Yoav Segalovitz gives him a free vote on LGBTQ rights, separate from Ra’am’s line.
Ra'am originated in an electoral alliance formed before the 1996 elections, bringing together the Arab Democratic Party and the southern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, led by Sheikh Abdullah Nimar Darwish. Under the name Mada-Ra'am, the list won four seats. The movement's Shura Council guides parliamentary votes.
After fluctuating results in the 1990s and 2000s (five seats in 1999, two in 2003, an alliance with Ta'al from 2006 to 2013), the party joined the Joint List in 2015 alongside Hadash, Balad, Ta'al and the Islamic Movement, to cross the electoral threshold, which had been raised to 3.25%.
Mansour Abbas took over the party's leadership in 2018 and steered Ra'am toward direct engagement with Israeli domestic politics, prioritizing the fight against crime, employment and infrastructure in Arab society, breaking with the traditional opposition stance of Arab parties.
The Joint List split in January 2021. In the March 2021 elections, Ra'am won four seats and became the kingmaker in the formation of the government.
On June 2, 2021, Abbas signed a historic coalition agreement: this was the first time an independent Arab party had joined the Israeli government, and the first participation of an Arab party in government in more than 50 years.
The party held the first primary in its history on August 22, 2026. Its separation from the southern branch of the Islamic Movement was finalized in July 2026. It is running independently in 2026, following the failure of negotiations to reconstitute a united Arab list.
On September 23, 2026, the Central Elections Committee voted (18 votes to 5) to disqualify Ra'am from the October 27, 2026 election, on the basis of accusations of support for armed struggle. The Israeli attorney general opposed this, describing the petition as “very thin” and finding that Mansour Abbas's statements show that he recognizes Israel's Jewish character. The case is on appeal before the Supreme Court. No final decision had been confirmed as of September 28, 2026.
On October 2, 2026, the Supreme Court unanimously overturned Ra'am's disqualification (as well as that of the Joint List), ruling that the evidence presented did not meet the strict criteria established by case law. The party is therefore allowed to run on October 27, 2026.
Mansour Abbas heads the list for the October 27, 2026 election, with Yoav Segalovitz in second place. He announced in August 2026 that this would be his last candidacy and that he would leave the Knesset at the end of the next parliamentary term, in accordance with the party's statutory limit of three consecutive terms.
The party was the first Arab party to join an Israeli governing coalition (the Bennett-Lapid government, 2021-2022).
During that term, it secured a development plan of 30 billion shekels (approximately 9.4 billion dollars) for Arab localities. This constitutes a real and documented record in government.
Israel should accept a long-term ceasefire in Gaza, even if Hamas is not fully disarmed.
Since October 2023, Ra’am has called for a full ceasefire, the release of the hostages and a two-state solution; Mansour Abbas also says that Hamas, which “committed crimes”, must “pay the price”. Ra’am has not spoken specifically on the condition that Hamas be disarmed.
Source :Srugim : מנסור עבאס קורא להפסקת אש מוחלטת· 2023-10-30
Israel should apply the death penalty to people convicted of deadly attacks.
Ra’am opposes the death penalty for perpetrators of attacks: the United Arab List voted against the law passed on March 30, 2026, and already answered “no” to this question in its 2019 platform.
Source :Death Penalty for Terrorists Law (Wikipedia)· 2026-03-30
Who should govern Gaza in the long term?
Mansour Abbas believes that Gaza should be run by a Palestinian government that is not “a government of factions”, and that Arab countries will enter only at the invitation of that government; Ra’am sees Gaza as part of a future Palestinian state.
Source :JNS / Jewish Press : Ra'am party head Abbas: Hamas part of the Palestinian people· 2024-05-26
To reach an agreement with the Palestinians, Israel should be ready to give up part of Judea and Samaria/West Bank.
Ra’am supports a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria/the West Bank and Gaza, with East Jerusalem as its capital, which implies an Israeli withdrawal from at least part of these territories as part of an agreement.
Source :United Arab List (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11
Israel should accept the creation of a Palestinian state as part of a peace agreement.
Ra’am supports the two-state solution: Mansour Abbas stated in August 2026 that the State of Palestine exists and that Ra’am is working for Israel to recognize it. According to Kan, Mansour Abbas nevertheless specified that Ra’am would not make this a condition for joining a coalition.
Source :i24NEWS : Mansour Abbas, « L'État de Palestine existe, nous voulons qu'Israël et les États-Unis le reconnaissent »· 2026-08-22
Israel should let more humanitarian aid into Gaza, even if part of it risks being diverted by Hamas.
Ra’am calls for expanding humanitarian aid to Gaza, as Mansour Abbas said in October 2023, and its MKs denounce the situation of civilians; Ra’am has not spoken about the risk of diversion by Hamas.
Source :Srugim : מנסור עבאס קורא להפסקת אש מוחלטת· 2023-10-30
Existing settlements in Judea and Samaria/West Bank should be able to expand.
Inferred position: Ra’am supports a Palestinian state in Judea and Samaria/the West Bank with East Jerusalem as its capital, which is incompatible with settlement expansion; no recent Ra’am statement on this specific issue was found.
Source :United Arab List (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11
On which part of Judea and Samaria/West Bank should Israel apply its sovereignty?
Inferred position: Ra’am supports a Palestinian state over all of Judea and Samaria/the West Bank and Gaza, hence no application of Israeli sovereignty; no recent Ra’am statement on annexation was found.
Source :United Arab List (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11
Israel should allow civil marriage, in addition to religious marriage.
Inferred position: Ra’am is a conservative Islamist party that emerged from the southern branch of the Islamic Movement, and its agreement with Yoav Segalovitz gives him a free vote on religion and state, which indicates that Ra’am’s line differs on these issues; no Ra’am statement on civil marriage was found.
Source :United Arab List (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11
The state should keep funding religious institutions and services the way it does today.
Inferred position: Ra’am, a party that emerged from the Islamic Movement, defends public budgets for Arab society and its institutions; no specific Ra’am statement on funding for religious services was found.
Source :United Arab List (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11
Should the be able to strike down a law passed by the Knesset?
Inferred position: Ra’am did not join the judicial overhaul; in 2023, Ra’am denied having contacts with Yariv Levin and said it wanted a “broad consensus” on any reform. No Ra’am statement on the Supreme Court’s power to strike down laws was found.
Source :The Media Line : Israel’s Justice Minister Courts Ra’am for Judicial Overhaul Support· 2023-05-07
The October 7 inquiry should be entrusted to a state commission of inquiry, whose members are appointed by the Supreme Court president, rather than to a commission whose members are chosen by the Knesset.
In October 2025, in a Knesset committee, Ra’am voted for the establishment of a state commission of inquiry into October 7; in October 2026, Ra’am is calling for a “full, independent and impartial” inquiry, without specifying the model.
Source :Times of Israel : Knesset panel rejects proposal to establish October 7 state commission of inquiry· 2025-10-22
What should be done with the 2018 “Nation-State” law?
Ra’am opposes the “Nation-State” law and called for its repeal in 2021; Mansour Abbas nevertheless recognizes Israel as a “Jewish and democratic” state and emphasizes equality for Arab citizens, which places Ra’am between repeal and adding equality.
Source :Ynetnews : No Nation-State Law, no pro-LGBT bills: Ra'am's demands from Lapid· 2021-03-28
An Arab party should be able to be part of a governing coalition.
Ra'am supports the participation of an Arab party in government: it served in the Bennett-Lapid coalition in 2021. After Gadi Eisenkot excluded Ra'am from his government (26 September 2026), Yoav Segalovitz, number 2 on the list, responded that Eisenkot “will not have a government without Ra'am”.
Source :Times of Israel : Eisenkot: Ra'am won't be in my government· 2026-09-26
The state should lower taxes, even if this means cutting some public spending.
Ra’am makes public investment (infrastructure, health, education, employment) in Arab society its priority, as in its 2021 coalition agreement; no Ra’am statement on raising taxes was found.
Source :United Arab List (Wikipedia)· 2026-10-11
Israel should create a civil union open to same-sex couples, with the same rights as married couples.
Ra’am opposes rights for same-sex couples for religious reasons: Mansour Abbas left the Joint List in 2021 partly over this issue, and the 2026 agreement with Yoav Segalovitz gives him a free vote on LGBTQ rights, separate from Ra’am’s line.
Source :Middle East Institute : Mansour Abbas, Islamist kingmaker or “good Arab”?· 2021-04-02
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