Mansour Abbas' Ra'am party to hold first ever primary election for Knesset candidates

ByYOAV ETIELJULY 27, 2026 08:24Updated: JULY 27, 2026 08:25Ra'am, the party led by MK Mansour Abbas, announced on Sunday that it will hold primary elections for the first time in its history on August 22, during which party members will select its candidates for the Knesset ahead of the next election.According to the party's statement, the conference is part of the completion of its organizational preparations and fulfills its constitutional requirements.The party stated the conference represents a significant organizational and political milestone and comes amid efforts to strengthen the party's institutions, expand its membership, and deepen its public presence among the various sectors, communities, and regions of Arab society.Ra'am Party leader Mansour Abbas casts his vote at a voting station in Maghar, during the Knesset Elections, on November 1, 2022. (credit: JAMAL AWAD/FLASH90)Ra'am accuses government of racismThe move is particularly important to Ra’am in light of the difficult circumstances facing Arab society, with the party citing what it described as "the unprecedented racist policies and practices of the Netanyahu-Ben-Gvir-Smotrich government."The United Arab List also stressed that it seeks to bring down the current government and replace it with a new one in which the party would be an active partner, working to address the challenges facing Arab society.Ra’am has become the fourth Israeli party to hold primaries, alongside Yair Golan’s The Democrats, Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionist Party, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.Follow us on Google