Leader of Islamist Party Becomes ‘Kingmaker’ in Israel

Elections in Israel brought a surprise as the leader of a conservative Islamist party Mansour Abbas emerged as a possible kingmaker and stayed victorious to enter the parliament.

Mansour Abbas, the Islamist, conservative leader of the United Arab List (UAL) party in Israel, known as Raam, became a Knesset member in September 2019 on the Arab Joint List, a political alliance that represents Palestinian citizens inside Israel.

Ra’am, which has five seats, has not ruled out joining the government in Israel that is in contrast with other Arab political groups.

“We are prepared to engage with either Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s camp or his rivals”, Abbas told media. “I’m not in anyone’s pocket”, he added.

As per sources, Israel’s latest inconclusive election left no clear path for Netanyahu or his rivals to form a government, setting the stage for protracted coalition talks.

The final result showed combined strength of declared pro-Netanyahu parties was 52 seats while those seeking to end his long reign commanded 56.

For Netanyahu, that means securing a 61-seat majority could require an alliance with his estranged former protege, the religious-nationalist Naftali Bennett, who is projected to control seven seats, as well as with Abbas having five seats.

When Israel voted last year, the Ra’am party was part of Arab Joint List (AJL) but the alliance fractured amid ideological conflicts between Mansour Abbas and his partners.

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He asserted it is important to partner who is in power in order to tackle a crime epidemic rocking Arab communities.

Amal Jamal, an analyst at Tel Aviv University, said Abbas “has no red lines” and could align with whichever camp best caters to his interests. “He will flirt with all parties to try and achieve what he wants,” Jamal told AFP.