Ra'am Leader Mansour Abbas Considers Joining Forces with Yesh Atid Ahead of Elections

As the deadline for finalizing party lists for the upcoming elections approaches, a significant political development is reportedly underway involving the Ra'am party and Yesh Atid. Mansour Abbas, chairman of Ra'am, is advancing the potential inclusion of former Knesset member and Deputy Minister for National Security Yoav Segalovich into Ra'am's ranks. According to a report by Yuval Segev on Channel 13, Abbas has been exploring the possibility of reserving a spot for a respected Jewish figure on the Ra'am list to broaden Jewish-Arab partnership within the party.

Ra'am believes this move could help counter delegitimization attacks from right-wing parties and substantially improve its chances of becoming a legitimate coalition partner in the next government. As part of this initiative, Ra'am conducted polls among both Arab and Jewish populations, which indicated positive support for Segalovich’s inclusion. Segalovich is viewed favorably in the Arab community due to his efforts combating crime, potentially increasing Ra'am’s electoral strength.

In light of the possible addition of a Jewish candidate, Ra'am is also seriously considering changing its name from "Ra'am" (United Arab List) to a more inclusive title appealing to Jewish voters as well. However, ideological and conceptual differences remain between the parties, which must be resolved before any formal agreement can be signed. Ra'am has not commented on the report, while Segalovich stated he currently belongs to the "Together" party.