Professor Aryeh Eldad Claims Mansour Abbas Remains Committed to Islamic Movement's Strategy Against Israel

Professor Aryeh Eldad argues that Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra'am party, has not changed his fundamental ideology but continues to follow the Islamic Movement's phased strategy aimed at undermining the State of Israel. Eldad references the "Islamic Movement Charter," which Abbas helped draft, outlining a four-stage plan that begins with leveraging Arab citizens' rights within Israel and culminates in the democratic dismantling of the Israeli state.

Eldad critiques Abbas's portrayal of "civil jihad" as a peaceful civic struggle, contrasting it with the traditional Islamic concept of jihad as a holy war. He highlights Abbas's 2018 speech and writings, where Abbas described Israel as a colonial project established through the conquest of Palestinian land in 1948 and expressed demands including the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, equal national rights for Arab Israelis, and the right of return for Palestinian refugees.

Despite some public perceptions that Abbas has moderated his views to integrate into Israeli politics, Eldad insists that Abbas remains loyal to the Muslim Brotherhood's ideology. Eldad warns that Abbas's participation in Israeli coalition governments, such as the Bennett-Lapid administration, should not be seen as a genuine ideological shift but rather as a tactical phase in a broader strategy. Eldad urges critics like Yoav Segalovich to study the Islamic Movement's charter to understand Abbas's true intentions.

The article underscores the ongoing debate over Abbas's political role and the implications of his party's inclusion in Israeli coalitions, emphasizing the ideological continuity behind his political maneuvers.