Mansour Abbas Urges Recognition of Palestinian State at Ra'am Conference

The 28th national conference of the United Arab List (Ra'am) convened on Saturday in Tayibe, with approximately 1,050 party members from across the Arab community attending. Mansour Abbas, Ra'am chairman and Knesset member, called for official recognition of the State of Palestine as a foundation for resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In his speech to the general conference, which was set to approve the party's candidate list for the upcoming Knesset elections, Abbas emphasized that Arab citizens of Israel serve as a bridge for peace. He stated that a Palestinian state already exists and is recognized by most countries worldwide, except the United States and Israel. Consequently, Ra'am seeks recognition of Palestine and aims to promote peace, reconciliation, and an end to the conflict.

Politically, Abbas announced Ra'am's intention to open a new chapter in relations with the three other Arab parties, urging them to sign agreements on cooperation, coordination, division of roles, surplus vote arrangements, and a code of honor to establish responsible partnership before and after the elections. He highlighted that Ra'am has made the question of an Arab party's coalition participation a serious political reality. In a recent interview, Abbas identified Israeli Arabs as "Palestinian Arabs" and noted their national demands could include territorial autonomy, cultural autonomy, official status for the Arabic language, and land rights. Abbas also revealed that this election cycle would be his last as a Knesset candidate, with plans to retire after the next term and make way for younger leadership.