Ahmad Mansour wrote that Arab parties in Israel could be crucial for a majority against Benjamin Netanyahu, but they are not automatically potential coalition partners. He attributed this to different conceptions of Israel's national identity and security and distinguished between the Joint List of Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad and Ra’am under Mansour Abbas. Mansour described Hadash as influenced by communism, Ta’al as Arab-nationalist, and Balad as a party representing a state for all citizens that rejects Israel's definition as a Jewish state. He cited the former Balad chairman Azmi Bishara as an example of conflicts over national loyalty and security, noting that he left Israel in 2007 and resigned his Knesset mandate while being investigated on suspicion of having passed information to Hezbollah during the Lebanon War. Ra’am is the political arm of the southern wing of the Islamic Movement in Israel, whose ideological roots lie in the Muslim Brotherhood, from which Hamas also emerged. Mansour emphasized that Ra’am should not be equated with Hamas: the southern trend focused on political participation rather than violent resistance. Under Abbas, Ra’am prioritized investments, infrastructure, housing, and combating crime. Mansour also referenced Abbas’s contacts with Hamas leadership: in 2016, he participated in talks in Qatar about a reconciliation between Hamas and Fatah and confirmed previous meetings with Khaled Mashal. In 2021, Abbas initially negotiated with then-Prime Minister Netanyahu about possible cooperation with Likud. After a coalition with the right-wing camp failed, Ra’am joined Naftali Bennett's and Yair Lapid's government. Since October 7, 2023, the question of trust has become more difficult, Mansour wrote. For many Jewish Israelis, attitudes towards terrorism, recognition of Israel, and the willingness to share security policy decisions are crucial. Therefore, opposing Netanyahu is not enough as a common government program, Mansour concluded. #Israel #Politik #Araberparteien (translated)
