‘(Netanyahu) is the one who brought the fascist Ben-Gvir back to the Israeli parliament,’ says the Ra’am head
The head of Israel’s Islamist Ra’am party Mansour Abbas on Friday said that his party would not support Opposition Head Benjamin Netanyahu and would not join a coalition with the right-wing Likud party.
In an interview with Channel 12, Abbas said Netanyahu “is the cause of everything that has happened in Arab society,” including an increase in crime.
“We [Ra’am] are with the ‘change government,’ and we will not support Netanyahu – he is history. He is the one who brought the fascist Ben-Gvir back to the Israeli parliament,” Abbas continued, referring to Netanyahu’s successful efforts to ensure Ben-Gvir’s far-right Jewish Power faction ran with Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism.
Ra’am became the first Arab party to join an Israeli coalition under former prime minister Naftali Bennett following the last round of elections in March 2020.
Abbas says that Netanyahu approached him to attempt to build a coalition following the elections.
Netanyahu posted a response video saying, “I really am protecting the history of our country, in order to make sure Abbas and his friends will not be its future.”
The Ra’am leader also criticized Joint List lawmakers Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi, stating he believed they worsened situations at al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.
“They are over there taking photos while we are there defending the mosque,” he told N12. “Odeh joined together with Tibi and the Likud to work to overthrow the government.”
The Ra’am leader also criticized Joint List lawmakers Ayman Odeh and Ahmad Tibi, stating he believed they worsened situations at al-Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount.
“They are over there taking photos while we are there defending the mosque,” he told N12. “Odeh joined together with Tibi and the Likud to work to overthrow the government.”
