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

The 28th national conference of the United Arab List (Ra'am) opened on Saturday in Tayibe, with around 1,050 party members from across the Arab community in Israel attending. Marking 30 years since Ra'am's founding, the conference is one of the largest in the party's history and will select Ra'am's candidates for the upcoming Knesset elections.

In his speech, Ra'am chairman and Knesset member Mansour Abbas emphasized the party's strategy to influence Israeli politics from within the system. He stated that Ra'am has put Israeli democracy to a "real test" by making the participation of an Arab party in a governing coalition a serious political reality. Abbas also called for renewed cooperation among the three Arab parties, proposing agreements on cooperation, division of roles, vote surplus arrangements, and a "charter of honor" to establish responsible partnerships before and after the elections.

Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, Abbas declared, "The State of Palestine exists and stands, and most of the world recognizes it except the United States and Israel. We want them to recognize it as well and are working toward peace, reconciliation, and ending the occupation and conflict." He described Arab citizens of Israel as a bridge to achieving peace.

Sheikh Safwat Faraj, head of the Islamic Movement, highlighted Ra'am's representation of all streams and regions within the Arab community in Israel, calling the party a "big home" for Arabs in the Negev, center, and Galilee. Mazen Ganayem, mayor of Sakhnin and chairman of the national committee of Arab local authorities, praised Ra'am's achievements in the coalition, noting the significant difference between being in government versus opposition. He defended the "Five-Fifty" five-year plan, which critics called "crumbs," saying it was crucial for Arab municipalities.

Ra'am faction chairman Walid Taha stressed that the party uses political participation to enforce solutions rather than just present demands. He said Ra'am chose to "burn in the fire of coalition participation to extinguish the fire of injustice and discrimination" against the Arab community. Taha also extended a hand to the Jewish community to build a just citizenship model for all Israeli citizens without exception.