Knesset Committee to Review Possible Ban on Ra'am After Reported Hamas Links

The Knesset is set to discuss on Monday a possible move to outlaw the Ra'am party, following a report by Channel 14 alleging that party money leaked to terrorist groups and that its chairman, Mansour Abbas, met abroad with Hamas leadership. Part of the session will be closed to the public and limited to participants with high-level security clearance.

The debate will be held in the National Security Committee, chaired by MK Zvika Fogel. According to the committee notice, the discussion was convened because of the Channel 14 exposé. Expected attendees include representatives of Lahav 433, the National Counter Terrorism Headquarters, the Shin Bet, and public policy and watchdog groups including Kohelet, the Israel Democracy Institute, The Movement for Quality Government, and the Bithonistim.

The report cited by the committee says Abbas attended a two-day meeting in Turkey with senior figures from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. It said the gathering was not about a religious peace initiative or internal reconciliation, but about a unified Arab effort against the Trump administration’s “deal of the century.” The footage reportedly shows Abbas standing close to Hamas political bureau member Hussam Badran, who previously headed the organization’s military wing in Judea and Samaria.

The report also said other participants included Hamas political bureau member Musa Abu Marzouk and Muhammad al-Hindi, now deputy leader of Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The attendees were said to have discussed Palestinian internal division as a prerequisite for advancing the struggle against Israel. According to the footage, Abbas and Badran also sat face to face during the reading of the conference’s closing statement, which the report said further undermines Abbas’s denials. The Families Forum, “Choosing Life,” said its research department found the material and warned that Abbas could again become a political kingmaker in the next election.