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From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

United Arab List
הַרְשִׁימָה הַעֲרָבִית הַמְאוּחֶדֶת
القائمة العربية الموحدة
LeaderMansour Abbas
Founded1996 (1996)
Ideology

Historical:

Islamism[6][7][8]
National affiliationJoint List (2015–2019;
2020–2021)
Seats in Knesset
5 / 120
Election symbol
עם
ع‌م

[9]
Website
almwahda.com (archived)

The United Arab List,[a] commonly known by its Hebrew abbreviation Ra'am (Hebrew: רע"מ), is an Islamist and conservative political party in Israel. In 2021 it joined the thirty-sixth government. It is currently led by Mansour Abbas.[10]

The party functioned as the political wing of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, which supported the Oslo I Accord and began participating in Israeli parliamentary elections),[11] until July 2026, when Ra'am announced its separation from the Islamic Movement. It had been part of the Joint List, but left the alliance in January 2021.

The party announced in January 2026 that it would open to Jewish candidates on its electoral list, in advance of the 2026 Israeli legislative election, with Yoav Segalovitz announced in late August as the party's first Jewish candidate.

History

United Arab List election ballot, 2013

Establishment

The party was established prior to the 1996 election, unrelated to the original United Arab List that existed in the late 1970s and early 1980s. It was joined in an electoral alliance by the Arab Democratic Party (which held two seats in the outgoing parliament) and the southern faction of the Islamic Movement, led by Sheikh Abdullah Nimar Darwish.[12] The party initially went under the title of Mada-Ra'am, Mada being the acronym and common name for the Arab Democratic Party. In the election, the party won four seats. During the Knesset term, the Arab Democratic Party became a faction within the United Arab List, and its name was dropped from the party title.

Late 1990s-2010s

The 1999 election saw the party increase its share of the vote and pick up five seats. However, internal disagreements saw three MKs leave; Muhamad Kanan and Tawfik Khatib left and established the Arab National Party, whilst Hashem Mahameed formed the National Unity – National Progressive Alliance party. In the 2003 election, the party's support dropped by more than a third, with the party only just crossing the electoral threshold of 2%, and winning only two seats.

Ra'am logo
Logo used by the party before 2019

For the 2006 election, the party entered an alliance with Ahmad Tibi's Ta'al party. Running together, the alliance won four seats, three of which were taken by the United Arab List. The partys' alliance was maintained for the 2009 election, which initially saw the Israeli Central Elections Committee ban the party from participating,[13] but this was overturned by the Supreme Court of Israel.[14] In the election, the alliance again won four seats. Shortly before the 2013 election, Taleb el-Sana left the party to sit as an independent Arab Democratic Party member.

Joint List

After the electoral threshold to gain Knesset seats was raised from 2% to 3.25%, the party joined with Hadash, Balad, Ta'al, and the Islamic Movement to form the Joint List for the 2015 election.[15] For the April 2019 election, it ran on a list with Balad.[16] The party again ran as part of the Joint List in the 2020 election.[17] The alliance split in January 2021.[18]

Coalition government

In the 2021 elections, the party won four seats in the Knesset.[19] Within the fragmented political landscape of Israel, these seats gave the party the role of kingmaker in determining the next government after Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form one.[20][21][22][23]

The party was open to forming a government with Likud, but Religious Zionist Party leader Bezalel Smotrich opposed the idea.[24] Abbas stated in a 2026 interview with Channel 12 that "foreign actors" were in favor of a Netanyahu government during those talks.[25]

On 2 June 2021, party leader Mansour Abbas signed an agreement to form a coalition government,[26] the first time an independent Arab party became a member of the Israeli government, and the first time in more than 50 years that any Arab party formed part of the Israeli government; a photograph of Abbas, sitting with Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, signing the coalition agreement was widely circulated.[27][21] The agreement included guarantees that more than 53 billion shekels (US$16 billion) would be spent to improve infrastructure and reduce crime in Arab towns, provisions protecting homes built without permits in Arab villages, and recognition for Bedouin towns in the Negev desert.[10][28]

On 28 October 2021, the cabinet approved a plan to spend US$9.4 billion to improve employment opportunities and health services for Israeli Arabs and improve housing, technology, and infrastructure in Arab areas;[29][30] it included a further US$1 billion to address high crime rates in Arab areas.[29][31] In the scale of funding range of issues in the Arab community addressed, the plan had little precedent in Israeli history, and Abbas and Ra'am were widely credited with pushing forward what Abbas called a "historic step" forward for Arab Israelis.[23][30][32] The plan was signed into law when the budget passed on 4 November.[33]

At the United Arab List's urging the coalition government recognized several Bedouin villages and connected thousands of previously illegal homes to the electrical grid.[23][34][35]

Return to opposition

In the 2022 Knesset elections the party won five seats, gaining an additional seat. The party received most of its votes in Bedouin and Sunni Muslim towns.[36]

On 5 January 2026, party leader Abbas announced that the party would be open to all Israelis for membership and "aims to recruit Jewish politicians who share Ra'am's agenda" as the Arab community continues to struggle with high crime rates.[37]

The party is willing to work with "anti-Netanyahu parties", while that position is a nonstarter for other Arab parties, including Hadash and Balad.[38]

Abbas confirmed in August 2026 during a joint press conference with former Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz that Segalovitz had joined the party's slate as part of a technical bloc.[39]

Likud announced on 13 September that it would submit a disqualification request to the Central Elections Committee (CEC) while Otzma Yehudit submitted one the previous week.[40] The CEC voted on 23 September to bar the party from the election, with 18 votes in favor and five against. The decision is pending a review by the Supreme Court of Israel. Attorney General of Israel Gali Baharav-Miara opposed the disqualification.[41]

Ideology and support

Ra'am has historically been characterized as an Islamist party.[42][43][44][45] It has been described as a "religious Arab Muslim party".[46] The southern faction of the Islamic Movement had been a major force in the party, where the movement's Shura Council exerted influence on the party's votes in parliament.[47] This connection ended in December 2025 as the party announced its separation from the Southern Islamic Movement to transition towards becoming a "civic party",[48] with the separation finalized in July 2026.[49] Because of this separation, some sources, including The Jerusalem Post[50] and The Times of Israel[51] described the party as transitioning away from being Islamist.

Under Abbas's direction, the party advocates for the full-fledged political involvement with the domestic politics of Israel in order to improve the quality of life of Arab Israelis, particularly with respect to crime, employment opportunities, housing, and infrastructure; this is a departure from other Arab parties, which historically form part of the opposition and focus on the larger Israeli–Palestinian conflict.[52][53][23][54][4]

The party supports the two-state solution, and the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, with East Jerusalem as its capital.[4] However, according to Khaled Elgindy, the Middle East Institute's "programme director on Palestine and Palestinian-Israeli Affairs", in an interview with Nada AlTaher of The National, that the party does "not emphasise the need to end the Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories".[55] In 2021, the The Times of Israel reported that party officials have "regularly disparaged gay people with an Arabic slur meaning 'perverts'".[56][b]

Its constituency consists mostly of religious or nationalist Israeli Arabs, and enjoys particular popularity among the Negev Bedouin: in the 2009 election, 80% of residents of Bedouin communities voted for the party.[57]

Election results

Election Leader Votes % Seats +/– Status
1996 Abdulmalik Dehamshe With Mada
2 / 120
 – Opposition
1999
3 / 120
 Increase 1 Opposition
2003
1 / 120
 Decrease 2 Opposition
2006 Ibrahim Sarsur With Mada and Ta'al
2 / 120
 Increase 1 Opposition
2009
2 / 120
 Steady Opposition
2013 With Ta'al
3 / 120
 Increase 1 Opposition
2015 Masud Ghnaim Part of Joint List
4 / 120
 Increase 1 Opposition
Apr 2019 Mansour Abbas With Balad
2 / 120
 Decrease 2 Snap election
Sep 2019 Part of Joint List
3 / 120
 Increase 1 Snap election
2020
4 / 120
 Increase 1 Opposition
2021 167,064 3.79
4 / 120
 Steady Coalition
2022 193,916 4.07
5 / 120
 Increase 1 Opposition
2026
  1. ↑ (Hebrew: הַרְשִׁימָה הַעֲרָבִית הַמְאוּחֶדֶת, HaReshima HaAravit HaMe'uhedet; Arabic: القائمة العربية الموحدة, al-Qā'ima al-'Arabiyya al-Muwaḥḥada)
  2. ↑ At the time, analysts suggested that Ra’am could even join a Netanyahu-led coalition, although it ended up being part a government led by opposition parties.

Knesset membership

Current Knesset members

Former Knesset members

See also

References

  1. ↑ Ahlswede, Stefan (2009). Israel's European Policy After the Cold War. Nomos. p. 47.
  2. ↑ "Jewish homophobe says he is not opposed to Arab homophobes backing coalition". The Times of Israel. 24 March 2021. Archived from the original on 29 March 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  3. ↑ Rothwell, James (3 June 2021). "Israel: Benjamin Netanyahu poised for exit as opposition proclaims new coalition government". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 18 September 2022. In response, the socially conservative Ra'am party ...
  4. 1 2 3 O Falk, Thomas (2 July 2021). "Can United Arab List change Israeli politics from within?". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  5. ↑ AlTaher, Nada (24 June 2021). "Ra'am: who are Israel's first Arab party in government?". The National. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  6. ↑ Migdalovitz, Carol (18 May 2015). "Israel: Background and Relations with the United States" (PDF). CRS Issue Brief for Congress. Congressional Research Service. Archived from the original (PDF) on 23 May 2003. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  7. ↑ Almagor, Tomer (16 August 2026). "How a Jewish ex-police probes chief could revive Mansour Abbas as Israeli Arab kingmaker - analysis". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 25 September 2026. metamorphosis from the leader of a non-Zionist Islamist party into the leader of a Jewish-Arab party
  8. ↑ "In major shift, Yesh Atid MK reportedly set to run as No. 2 in Mansour Abbas's Ra'am party". The Times of Israel. 31 July 2026. Retrieved 25 September 2026. historically Islamist party
  9. ↑ "הַרְשִׁימָה הַעֲרָבִית הַמְאוּחֶדֶת". Central Election Committee for the Knesset (in Hebrew). Retrieved 14 June 2021.
  10. 1 2 Ayyub, Rami (3 June 2021). "Arab Islamist helps clinch Israel's new anti-Netanyahu government". Reuters. Retrieved 29 July 2022.
  11. ↑ Sawaed, Khader (9 April 2019). "The Arab Minority in Israel and the Knesset Elections". The Washington Institute. Retrieved 19 August 2026.
  12. ↑ Halpern, Orly. "'It's Possible to Do Things Differently.' The Arab Kingmaker Who Joined Israel's Far-Right to Oust Netanyahu". Time. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  13. ↑ Ilan, Shahar; Singer-Heruti, Roni (12 January 2009). "Israel bans Arab parties from running in upcoming elections". Haaretz. Archived from the original on 20 June 2010. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  14. ↑ Roffe-Ofir, Sharon (21 January 2009). "Hadash praises verdict on Arab parties". Ynetnews. Reuters. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  15. ↑ Hazboun, Areej; Estrin, Daniel (28 January 2015). "As Arab MKs unite, a new political landscape emerges". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
  16. ↑ "FULL LIST: The Parties and Candidates Running in Israel's Election". Haaretz. 20 February 2019. Archived from the original on 21 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  17. ↑ Rasgon, Adam (3 March 2020). "Headed for 15 seats, Joint List chief claims 'huge' success, cites Jewish voters". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 28 January 2021.
  18. ↑ Staff writer; Aaron Boxerman (28 January 2021). "Knesset panel approves Joint List's breakup after talks with Ra'am faction fail". The Times of Israel.
  19. ↑ "Final Israeli election results confirm deadlock". Al Jazeera English. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  20. ↑ Kershner, Isabel (2 June 2021). "The Arab party Raam makes history within coalition". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  21. 1 2 Boxerman, Aaron (2 June 2021). "History made as Arab Israeli Ra'am party joins Bennett-Lapid coalition". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  22. ↑ "An Islamist party is part of Israel's new coalition government. How did that happen?". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 25 September 2022.
  23. 1 2 3 4 "Arab leader's gamble to play kingmaker in Israel is paying off". NPR. Associated Press. 17 January 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  24. ↑ "Netanyahu urges Sa'ar to 'come home'; Smotrich says veto on Ra'am non-negotiable". The Times of Israel. 16 April 2021. Retrieved 24 September 2026.
  25. ↑ Summers, Charlie (15 February 2026). "Mansour Abbas says foreign-linked actors pressured him to ally with Netanyahu in 2021". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  26. ↑ "Document signed by 8 parties in intended new government". The Times of Israel. 2 June 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  27. ↑ Kingsley, Patrick; Rasgon, Adam (3 June 2021). "Fragile Israeli Coalition to Oust Netanyahu Faces Growing Pressure". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
  28. ↑ Rasgon, Adam (10 June 2021). "A New Israeli Government Could Mean Help for Neglected Bedouin Villages". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  29. 1 2 "Israeli cabinet backs huge spending plan for Arab minority". BBC News. 25 October 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  30. 1 2 Khoury, Jack; Peleg, Bar; Efrati, Ido; Kadari-Ovadia, Shira (28 October 2021). "Five-year Plan for Israel's Arab Community: $9 Billion Won't Bridge a Gap Decades in the Making". Haaretz. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  31. ↑ Boxerman, Aaron (24 October 2021). "Cabinet okays NIS 32 billion to develop Arab Israeli economy, fight crime". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  32. ↑ Boxerman, Aaron (8 October 2021). "As unprecedented billions planned for under-served Arabs, devil's in the details". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  33. ↑ Wootliff, Raoul; staff, T. O. I. (4 November 2021), "Coalition passes 2021 budget, first in 3.5 years, averting early election threat", The Times of Israel, retrieved 25 September 2026
  34. ↑ Boxerman, Aaron (3 November 2021). "Government legalizes 3 unrecognized Bedouin towns, fulfilling Ra'am's pledge". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  35. ↑ "3 Bedouin villages to be recognized, receive infrastructure". The Jerusalem Post. 21 October 2021. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  36. ↑ "מפת הבחירות לכנסת ה-25". Kaplan Open Source.
  37. ↑ "Ra'am to open party to all Israelis, leader Abbas 'aims to recruits Jewish politicians'". 103fm. The Jerusalem Post. 5 January 2026. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  38. ↑ Watad, Samah (24 July 2026). "Palestinians could decide Israel's election. But their parties are at a stalemate". +972 Magazine. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  39. ↑ Sokol, Sam (31 August 2026). "Jewish former MK Yoav Segalovitz announces unprecedented run with Arab Ra'am party". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  40. ↑ Neev, Keshet (14 September 2026). "Likud says it will request to ban Arab parties from running in elections". The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 26 September 2026.
  41. ↑ Karmel, Ariela (23 September 2026). "Election panel votes overwhelmingly to bar Ra'am from election; Supreme Court reversal likely". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 23 September 2026.
  42. ↑ Grossman, Guy; Manekin, Devorah (7 June 2021). "An Islamist party is part of Israel's new coalition government. How did that happen?". The Washington Post. Retrieved 24 January 2024. ... the Islamist Ra'am party.
  43. ↑ "Israel moves to resolve crisis after Bedouins protest". Associated Press. 12 January 2022. Retrieved 25 September 2026. ... the Islamist Ra'am party ...
  44. ↑ Strawson, John (30 March 2021). "Israeli election: Mansour Abbas emerges as possible first Arab kingmaker in nation's history". The Conversation. Retrieved 25 September 2026. Islamist Ra'am
  45. ↑ Kershner, Isabel (27 August 2022). "Lessons Learned, Israel's Unlikely Islamist Kingmaker Looks Ahead". The New York Times. Retrieved 25 September 2026. Mansour Abbas, the leader of a small Islamist party called Raam ...
  46. ↑ "Ra'am (United Arab List)". ecfr.eu. 27 January 2019. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  47. ↑ Ayyub, Rami (3 June 2021). "Arab Islamist helps clinch Israel's new anti-Netanyahu government". Reuters. Retrieved 18 September 2022.
  48. ↑ "Ra'am leader says party will cut ties with religious council, become 'completely civic'". The Times of Israel. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  49. ↑ Khoury, Jack (27 July 2026). "Abbas' UAL Breaks With Islamic Movement in Push to Expand Voter Base". Haaretz. Retrieved 31 August 2026.
  50. ↑ Almagor, Tomer (16 August 2026). "How a Jewish ex-police probes chief could revive Mansour Abbas as Israeli Arab kingmaker - analysis". Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The Jerusalem Post. Retrieved 25 September 2026. metamorphosis from the leader of a non-Zionist Islamist party into the leader of a Jewish-Arab party
  51. ↑ "In major shift, Yesh Atid MK reportedly set to run as No. 2 in Mansour Abbas's Ra'am party". The Times of Israel. 31 July 2026. Retrieved 25 September 2026. historically Islamist party
  52. ↑ Kingsley, Patrick (4 July 2021). "As Secular Peace Effort Stutters in Israel, Religious Mediators Hope to Step In". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  53. ↑ Margalit, Ruth (22 October 2021). "The Arab-Israeli Power Broker in the Knesset". The New Yorker. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  54. ↑ "Why 1 Arab Party Joined Israel's Coalition Government But The Other Did Not". NPR. Retrieved 25 September 2026.
  55. ↑ AlTaher, Nada (24 June 2021). "Ra'am: who are Israel's first Arab party in government?". The National. Archived from the original on 25 June 2021. Retrieved 3 September 2026.
  56. ↑ Boxerman, Aaron (25 March 2021). "How Islamist Ra'am broke Arab politics and may win the keys to the government". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 24 January 2024.
  57. ↑ "How They Voted: See Israel election results by city/sector". Haaretz. 17 February 2009. Archived from the original on 9 May 2010. Retrieved 15 June 2015.
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