Mansour Abbas Launches Campaign to Secure 100,000 Votes in Negev to Block Right-Wing Government

Mansour Abbas, head of the Ra'am party and a member of the Knesset, launched his election campaign in Rahat, focusing on securing 100,000 votes from the Negev's Arab population. He framed the upcoming Knesset elections as a critical struggle for the future of the Arab community in Israel. Abbas emphasized the importance of renewing the political alliance with Arab residents in the Negev to maintain Ra'am's influence and advance their interests.

During the event, Abbas sent a strong message to political opponents, stating that Ra'am would consider anyone hostile to Negev residents as an enemy. He highlighted that Ra'am and the Islamic Movement's southern branch work to strengthen the status and living conditions of Arab citizens. Currently, about 80 percent of the Negev's Arab population votes for Ra'am, and the party aims to increase this from 80,000 to 100,000 votes in the upcoming elections.

Abbas explained that expanding the party's electoral power would enable Ra'am to replace the Netanyahu-Smotrich-Ben Gvir coalition. He described the elections as an existential battle to preserve the Arab presence, rights, and dignity in the Negev. Furthermore, Abbas pledged that Ra'am and the Islamic Movement would not make decisions without prior consultation with the council of unrecognized villages and landowners in the region.