A political firestorm erupted Wednesday after Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas said his recognition of Israel as a Jewish state was forced on him to avoid being disqualified from running for the Knesset. Right-wing parties launched sharp attacks, with Otzma Yehudit announcing it will move to disqualify him from the election. Meanwhile, hours after the controversy broke, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett, and Avigdor Lieberman have yet to issue any public response.
2+Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said Abbas’s remarks vindicate his past warnings about the Ra’am leader. According to Smotrich, Abbas is practicing “taqiyya”—presenting Israeli audiences with a more moderate position than he actually holds.
Unity party chairman Gilad Erdan also attacked Abbas, accusing him of misleading the public and the Central Elections Committee. “He doesn’t want a Jewish state here—he wants an Islamic caliphate,” Erdan said.
MK Tally Gotliv said Abbas’s words prove his recognition of a Jewish state was merely a tactical move to avoid disqualification, and called to bar Ra’am from running in the election.
2+Otzma Yehudit announced it will file a petition to disqualify Abbas from running for Knesset. The party linked his remarks to the possibility of future cooperation with him by Bennett and Eisenkot, arguing Ra’am must not be allowed to join any future coalition.
Amcha Yisrael party chairman Brig. Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter said “anyone who doesn’t recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish state can go to whatever Arab country he wants,” adding that such a person should not be allowed to serve in the Knesset.
Yoaz Hendel, chairman of the Bayit Zioni – HaMiluimnikim party, said Abbas’s words show he not only cannot be part of a government but “isn’t fit to be a Knesset member.”
2+As of midday Wednesday, Eisenkot, Bennett, and Lieberman had not responded to the controversy—despite some of them having previously sat in a coalition that relied on Ra’am or being asked about possible future cooperation with the party.
Abbas posted in Arabic this morning claiming recognition of a Jewish state was forced on him in order to run for Knesset, writing that “we were compelled to accept this so we wouldn’t be disqualified from running.” He made clear he does not deny the Nakba or ‘Palestinian’ narrative, and argued that his “partnership and influence approach” is designed to strengthen the political power of the Arab public.