In Israel, Otzma Yehudit asks to bar Ra’am and Mansour Abbas from elections
In Israel, the Otzma Yehudit party appealed to the Central Elections Committee with a request to bar the Arab party Ra’am and its chairman, Knesset member Mansour Abbas, from the 2026 parliamentary elections. This was reported by the Jerusalem Post, citing a party statement.
Appeal to the Elections Committee
Otzma Yehudit chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called Ra’am and Abbas “wolves in sheep’s clothing” and accused them of supporting Hamas. The party’s filing also alleges that Ra’am does not recognize Israel’s existence as a Jewish state and supports armed struggle against it.
Otzma Yehudit said it attached a report by the Registrar of Nonprofit Organizations to the full text of its appeal. According to the party, the organization Aid 48, linked to Ra’am, transferred funds to and cooperated with terrorist organizations.
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Abbas’s previous statements
Earlier, Otzma Yehudit had already called for Abbas to be barred from participating in Knesset elections following his statements in August. As the publication reported, Abbas said at the time that Arab parties had been forced to recognize Israel as a Jewish state in order to avoid being barred from elections.
The party’s statement also criticized the prospect of Abbas participating in a future government together with Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot.
