Ra'am Leader Refuses to Label Hamas Terror Group

Mansour Abbas, the leader of the Ra'am party, declined to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization during a meeting with President Isaac Herzog on Thursday. The exchange took place on the second day of Herzog's post-election consultations with party heads regarding who should form the next government. Abbas recommended Gadi Eisenkot, the head of the Yashar party, for the task. Eisenkot has stated that recognizing Hamas as a terror group is a condition for parties joining his potential administration.

Herzog directly asked Abbas whether he views Hamas as a terrorist entity. Abbas pointed to his party's history of opposing political violence. He argued that it is impossible to constantly undergo this loyalty test. The Ra'am leader also reaffirmed his support for US President Donald Trump's peace plan for Gaza. Abbas described his vision as a two-state solution where Hamas and other armed groups are disarmed.

Eyal Shviki, the director general of the President's Residence, pressed Abbas to answer skeptics by explicitly labeling the group a terrorist organization. Abbas responded that he has a clear answer but requested the space to remain a bridge. He explained that this position allows him to influence the other side. He warned against destroying that bridge or turning his party into supporters of terror or traitors.

Abbas also asked for a space to protect himself and his family. He described the issue as a matter of life or death. His comments highlight the tension between political expectations and personal security for Arab leaders in Israeli politics. The Ra'am party won eight seats in the October 27 Knesset election. The Joint List, a fellow Arab-majority party, won 11 seats. High Arab voter turnout has made both parties key figures in the upcoming government negotiations.

The Joint List has also indicated it will recommend Eisenkot. That party is more secular and nationalist than Ra'am. Although the Joint List does not aim to join the cabinet, it has pledged a conditional safety net for any government that unseats Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Ra'am, however, seeks to join an Eisenkot-led government. The party ran with former lawmaker and senior police officer Yoav Segalovitz at the number two spot on its list. Ra'am was previously part of the change government that briefly removed Netanyahu from power in 2021 and 2022.

Netanyahu and his supporters have labeled both Arab parties as supporters of terrorism. They have called them illegitimate participants in government despite Ra'am's previous cabinet membership. Netanyahu previously attempted to form a government with Ra'am. His Likud party has also accused both Arab-led parties of stealing the election through bribes. While no evidence has confirmed this claim yet, two investigations into suspected fraud are ongoing in limited cases.

Netanyahu lost his parliamentary majority in the recent election. Hours before Herzog's meeting with Abbas, the prime minister issued a video statement. He claimed that Islamist parties supporting terrorism threaten Israel from within. He argued that any government relying on these parties would endanger the state. Netanyahu described radical Islam as a challenge tearing Europe apart and threatening Israel from abroad and within.

He stated that these parties seek to erase the Jewish identity of Israel. He noted that they openly say they want to deprive Israel of the ability to defend itself. Netanyahu warned that a government relying on radical Islam would fail to fight enemies and tear the country apart from within. He reiterated his call for a broad national government under his leadership. Zionist opposition leaders have rejected unity with Netanyahu and his far-right allies, whom he vows to keep in any future government he leads.