2026 Ra'am primary
The United Arab List (Ra'am) held its first independent primary election in Tayibe on 22 August 2026, ahead of the 2026 Israeli legislative election.
Background
The party allied with other Arab parties, forming the Joint List, ahead of the 2015 Israeli legislative election to reach the increased electoral threshold.[1]
In December 2025, Ra'am distanced itself from its Islamist roots and announced its pending separation from the Islamic Movement and its Shura Council.[2] The separation was completed in July of 2026.[3]
It announced in January 2026 it would allow Jewish candidates on its electoral list, in advance of the 2026 Israeli legislative election.[4]
The party was a signatory to an agreement later that month which aimed to re-establish the Joint List.[5] The party announced in July that it would run on its own in the election.[6] Hadash, Ta'al and Balad subsequently announced in late August that they were re-establishing the alliance without Ra'am.[7]
Process
Over 1,000 members of the party planned to meet in Tayibe to determine the first five slots on the party's list; the remainder will be determined by the executive committee.[8]
Candidates
Abbas and former Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz have been negotiating his entry into Ra’am, with second place reportedly under discussion.[9] However, Abbas has explicitly indicated that the issue of bringing in outside candidates would be dealt with after the primary, rather than being decided by the internal vote.[10][11]
Reserved slots
Places 1–3
The first three positions are intended for representatives of:
- Galilee
- Triangle
- Negev
Place 4
Reserved for a woman.[12]
Results
Party leader Mansour Abbas was elected to the first slot, followed by Waleed Taha, Waleed Alhwashla, Iman Khatib-Yassin in the reserved women's slot and Yasir Hujeirat in the fifth slot.[13]
References
- ↑ Berman, Lazar (22 January 2015). "Arab parties finalize unity deal". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "Ra'am leader says party will cut ties with religious council, become 'completely civic'". The Times of Israel. 7 December 2025. Retrieved 21 August 2026.
- ↑ Khoury, Jack (27 July 2026). "Abbas' UAL Breaks With Islamic Movement in Push to Expand Voter Base". Haaretz. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ Karmel, Ariela (5 January 2026). "Abbas says Ra'am party will be open to Jewish candidates, in major shift". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ Karmel, Ariela (22 January 2026). "Under pressure, Arab Knesset parties sign agreement to work toward reviving Joint List". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ Rubinson, Ethan; Berman, Lazar (11 July 2026). "Ex-minister Chili Tropper says he will 'absolutely not' help Netanyahu form a governmentm". The Times of Israel. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "Arab Knesset parties revive Joint List, without Ra'am". Israel National News. 19 August 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ "Members of Arab party Ra'am convene to choose electoral slate". The Times of Israel. 22 August 2026. Retrieved 22 August 2026.
- ↑ Staff, ToI (7 August 2026). "Segalovitz departs Yesh Atid amid his reported talks to join Mansour Abbas's Ra'am". The Times of Israel. ISSN 0040-7909. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "Ex-Yesh Atid MK in talks to join Arab party slate". The Jerusalem Post. 13 August 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ "By joining Ra'am, Yoav Segalovitz can revive Mansour Abbas as Israel's kingmaker". The Jerusalem Post. 16 August 2026. Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ חלבי, עינב; חלבי, עינב (26 July 2026). "פריימריז ברע"ם לראשונה מאז ההיפרדות ממועצת השורא, עבאס: "אנחנו רצים לבד"". Ynet (in Hebrew). Retrieved 20 August 2026.
- ↑ Halabi, Einav (22 August 2026). "Ra'am Selects Candidate List for Upcoming Elections". Ynet. Retrieved 22 August 2026.