Mansour Abbas Supports Voluntary Civil Service for Arab Youth, Separates It from Military Duties

Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra'am party, clarified in an interview with Kol Al-Arab that his proposal for a voluntary civil service for Arab youth is entirely separate from military or security service. Abbas emphasized that Ra'am's initiative focuses solely on community service within the Arab sector, without any connection to the Israeli army.

In the same interview, Abbas stated that the idea of forming a joint list among the four Arab parties is no longer viable. He expressed hope that Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad would run together on a tripartite list, while Ra'am would compete independently. Abbas criticized the opposition among some Arab parties to joining the governing coalition, arguing that the Arab community does not benefit from holding 20 opposition seats in the Knesset, as this does not advance their goals.

Abbas urged the Arab public to vote in large numbers for both Ra'am and the Joint List in the upcoming elections to ensure stronger and more meaningful representation for the Arab sector in the Israeli parliament.