Ra'am Leader Mansour Abbas Calls for US and Israel to Recognize Palestinian State

Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra'am party, opened the party's general conference on August 22, 2026, which will select its Knesset candidate list. In his speech, Abbas emphasized that the Palestinian state already exists and is recognized by most countries worldwide. He stated that Ra'am is working to secure recognition of Palestine by both Israel and the United States, aiming for peace, reconciliation, and an end to occupation and conflict.

Abbas described Arab citizens of Israel as a "bridge to achieving peace" and called for renewed cooperation among Arab parties following the recent unification of the Joint List's three other Arab parties, which did not include Ra'am. He announced a new chapter in relations and urged signing surplus vote agreements to strengthen collaboration.

He also highlighted that Ra'am is testing Israeli democracy, noting that the participation of an Arab list in government coalitions has become a serious political reality. The conference agenda includes approving Abbas's authority to reserve spots on the candidate list.

Recent reports mention negotiations for former Deputy Minister of Public Security Yoav Segalovich, who left Yesh Atid, to join Ra'am. Abbas is expected to demand a technical arrangement where Segalovich would not be a formal party member and insists on no changes to Ra'am's internal constitution or leadership structure. Segalovich, in turn, demands freedom to vote on religion and state issues, a civil service framework for the Arab community, and formal acknowledgment of Israel as the Jewish nation-state, reflecting previous statements by Abbas.

The conference and these negotiations occur amid ongoing efforts to shape the Arab political landscape in Israel ahead of upcoming elections.