Noam Party Seeks to Disqualify Ra'am from Israeli Elections Over Mansour Abbas Remarks

The Noam party has filed a request with Israel's Central Elections Committee to disqualify the Ra'am party from participating in the 26th Knesset elections. This move follows controversial statements made by Ra'am chairman, MK Mansour Abbas, in Arabic, where he said Ra'am was "forced to accept" Israel's status as a Jewish state to avoid disqualification. Abbas also did not deny the Nakba, the Palestinian term for the 1948 displacement.

Noam argues that Abbas's remarks reveal that Ra'am's recognition of Israel as a Jewish state is not genuine but a legal formality to meet election requirements. The petition further expresses concern over alleged ties between Abbas, Ra'am, and the Muslim Brotherhood movement. Noam claims Ra'am operates under a strategy of deception toward perceived enemies and that Abbas's statements amount to a racist denial of Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, supporting opposition against it.

Noam leader MK Avi Maoz stated, "Mansour Abbas revealed his true face today, confirming what we all knew: he does not recognize Israel as the Jewish nation-state. This is a facade to avoid disqualification. Anyone who does not accept Israel as the Jewish people's nation-state should not run for the Knesset. Abbas should try running in an Arab country instead." The request was submitted on Wednesday, intensifying political tensions ahead of the elections. Meanwhile, right-wing leaders such as Naftali Bennett, Avigdor Lieberman, and Benny Gantz have remained silent on the matter.