Otzma Yehudit issues request for Ra'am, Abbas to be barred from 2026 Knesset elections

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of Otzma Yehudit, stated that Ra'am and Abbas were "wolves in sheep's clothing," and called them "Hamas-supporting terrorists."

Otzma Yehudit requested that the Central Elections Committee ban the Arab Ra'am party and its chairman, MK Mansour Abbas, from running in the 2026 Israeli elections, the party said in a statement on Wednesday.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, chairman of Otzma Yehudit, stated that Ra'am and Abbas were "wolves in sheep's clothing," and called them "Hamas-supporting terrorists."

The request claimed that Ra'am denied Israel's existence as a Jewish state and supported an armed struggle against it.

Otzma Yehudit also noted that the full request contained a report from the Nonprofit Registry detailing how the Ra'am-affiliated "Aid 48" nonprofit transferred funds to and collaborated with terrorist organizations.

Abbas says Arab parties forced to accept Israel as Jewish state

The party had previously called for Abbas to be disqualified from running for the Knesset following remarks he made in August, saying Arab parties were forced to accept Israel as a Jewish state to avoid being barred from elections.

“The senior partner of [Naftali] Bennett and [Gadi] Eisenkot in a future government admits that he does not recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish state,” the party’s statement read.

“We would tell you that what he is saying is delusional, but we are not surprised. He is from the Muslim Brotherhood. The delusion is that Eisenkot and Bennett dream every night about how they will form a government with him.”