United Arab List (Ra’am) chairman MK Mansour Abbas addressed the question of why he has not called for the destruction of the Hamas terrorist organization.
“Maybe I don’t want them to assassinate me?” Abbas said in an interview aired on Channel 12 on Monday. “Since October 7th, I was interviewed a lot, I condemned [the attack], and I expressed sorrow and pain. I answer as much as possible, what I can do, and what I can’t.”
Abbas also related to remarks by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who hinted that he intended to outlaw the Ra’am party.
“I haven’t calmed down since yesterday. Since we were part of the previous coalition, there has been a political delegitimization campaign against us. There has also been incitement, accusations that we support terrorism, and they say that we are affiliated with the Muslim Brotherhood. The goal is to get us out of politics. Despite its expected loss in the next election, Netanyahu will refrain from forming an alternative government.”
Later, Abbas remarked: “After the US decides to classify the Muslim Brotherhood as a terrorist organization, and affiliate us with them, disqualifying the Islamic Movement, the third step is to disqualify Ra’am from running in the next election.”
The Knesset member also called out the heads of the opposition, claiming that they never gave him and his party true legitimacy: “They allowed me to join the coalition in the ‘Government of Change’ (the previous government) only after I went to Netanyahu and he said that I was a legitimate partner. Only then did Lapid reach out to me, and we began to advance the formation of the government. They never gave me legitimacy, they never spoke with sympathy, love, or understanding. I don’t want them to talk about Ra’am, but rather about the problems in the Arab sector. Our blood spills in the street daily. Let them form a government without Ra’am.”