How a Jewish ex-police probes chief could revive Mansour Abbas as Israeli Arab kingmaker - analysis
In an official statement last week, Ra’am’s chairman Mansour Abbas and Segalovitz said they had met and held a “cordial and positive” discussion about the possibility of Segalovitz joining Ra’am.
At a rooftop barbecue in Netanya, Yoav Segalovitz, a relatively unknown MK of Yesh Atid, announced his decision not to run in the upcoming October election. This move could potentially alter the political landscape of Israel and impact Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's chances of winning the October 27 election. Before leaving Yesh Atid, Segalovitz, 67, served as the head of Israel Police's Investigations and Intelligence Division and was planning to join Raam, an Arab party that played a crucial role in the 2021 elections.
The move was reportedly discussed for months and both Segalovitz and Raam's chairman, Mansour Abbas, described their meeting as cordial and positive. This potential shift could lead to a significant change in Israel's political system, marking the first time in decades that a Zionist party member joins an Arab-led party, and Raam could become a key player in shaping the next government.
Israeli polls indicate that neither Netanyahu's coalition nor the bloc led by his rival, Gadi Eisenkot's former IDF Chief of Staff, is likely to secure the 61 seats needed to form a government. The opposition's Jewish parties have traditionally polled around 58 to 60 seats, while Netanyahu's bloc trails with approximately 50. With Raam potentially holding between five and seven seats, it could become the decision-maker once again.
Raam, founded in 1996, was once a religious Arab party but shifted its focus away from the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to improve the situation of Israel's Arab society. The party's leader, Abbas, had previously been hesitant to join another coalition with Jewish parties due to concerns about the party's ties to conservative Muslim religious leadership and the aftermath of the 2021 government collapse and the October 7, 2023 attacks.
However, Segalovitz's potential involvement might make Raam more appealing to both Israeli citizens and Arab Israelis seeking change.
Written by urgent.news from Jerusalem Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
