2018 Turkey conference links Ra'am chief Mansour Abbas to senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad figures

Newly aired Channel 14 footage from 2018 shows Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas at a two-day conference in Turkey alongside senior figures from Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. The event was not framed as a religious peace initiative or internal Palestinian reconciliation, but as a united Palestinian campaign against Donald Trump's “deal of the century.”

According to the report, Abbas has long avoided confirming meetings with senior Hamas officials outside the context of what he describes as a religious peace initiative or Palestinian reconciliation efforts. The newly revealed material is presented as proof that he did attend a gathering with prominent terror organization leaders, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad.

The footage shows Abbas standing close to Hussam Badran, a member of Hamas' political bureau and a former head of the group’s military wing in Judea and Samaria. Other attendees included Hamas political bureau member Mousa Abu Marzook and Muhammad al-Hindi, now deputy leader of Islamic Jihad. The participants discussed Palestinian division, but only as a prerequisite for advancing the struggle against Israel.

The report also says Abbas and Badran were shown in a smaller forum sitting opposite each other during the reading of the conference’s final statement, which it says further undermines Abbas’ denials. Following the exposure, the “Boharim BaHayim” forum of bereaved families sharply criticized the findings from its research department, and the report argues the images are especially significant given the possibility that Abbas could again become a political kingmaker in future elections.