Ra'am

Supreme Court allows Ofer Cassif, Ra'am, Joint List to run in 26th Knesset election

The court overturned Central Elections Committee decisions disqualifying MK Ofer Cassif, Ra'am and the Joint List, while Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy during proceedings.

|ByYOAV ETIEL
Head of Ra'am Mansour Abbas holds a joint press conference with new party member Yoav Segalovich in Nazareth.
A hearing at the Supreme Court in Jerusalem on the Central Elections Committee’s decision to disqualify Ra’am, Sami Abu Shehadeh, MK Ofer Cassif and the Joint List from running in the upcoming Knesset elections, October 1, 2026.

Supreme Court signals majority to bar Abu Shehadeh, urges him to withdraw

Supreme Court President Isaac Amit said the justices unanimously agreed that Abu Shehadeh’s statements were “painful, outrageous and repugnant,” but added that they differed on the legal outcome.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

Ra’am, Joint List appeal election bans as petitions target Otzma Yehudit

The Supreme Court will also review the disqualifications of Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
SAMI ABU Shehadeh speaks during a protest against the war in Gaza in Tel Aviv, in 2023.

Experts warn party disqualification bids risk intimidating, disenfranchising Arab voters

Even a Supreme Court reversal may not dispel intimidation and safety fears, they say.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN

Israel cannot call itself a democracy while excluding Arabs from political power - opinion

Demanding full equality and opposing military occupation should not place anyone outside legitimate political life. Arab citizens have the same right as Jewish citizens to elect representatives.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2026ByJOSH DRILL
Mansour Abbas is the head of Ra’am, one of four Arab parties vying for a place in the Knesset.

Disqualifying Ra'am from Israeli elections: It’s good for Zionism, bad for democracy - opinion

I support the decision to disqualify Ra’am from the upcoming election. I also believe that disqualifying a political party and denying citizens the ability to vote for it is bad for democracy.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2026ByADAM SCOTT BELLOS
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

Central Elections Committee bars Arab Ra'am, Joint List parties from running in October elections

The CEC's decision is temporary pending a ruling from the Supreme Court.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN, JAMES GENN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

Election panel to weigh whether Balad leader Abu Shehadeh crossed legal line for Knesset run

Abu Shehadeh faces a disqualification hearing centered on an October 8, 2023, article and whether it meets the Supreme Court’s strict legal standard.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Head of the Balad party MK Sami Abu Shehadeh arrives to cast his vote a voting station, on November 1, 2022, for the Israeli general elections. November 1, 2022.

Ra’am, Joint List fight bids to bar them from Knesset election

Ra’am, the Joint List, Balad and two candidates asked the Central Elections Committee to reject six petitions seeking to bar them from the 2026 Knesset election.

SEPTEMBER 20, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Ra’am party chairman Mansour Abbas, together with party member Yoav Segalovich, arrives to submit the party list to the Central Elections Committee, Jerusalem, September 7, 2026; illustrative.

Eisenkot rejects claim he promised Ra'am a place in future coalition during Bedouin meeting

The denial followed an N12 report in which northern Bedouin local authority heads who met Eisenkot on Tuesday claimed he had promised to bring Ra'am into a government he would lead.

SEPTEMBER 16, 2026BySHIR PERETS, KESHET NEEV
Gadi Eisenkot, leader of Yashar party and a former IDF chief of staff, speaks during an election campaign rally in Nordiya, Israel, Thursday, Aug. 31, 2026.

Likud says it will request to ban Arab parties from running in elections

The Likud stated that it would file the requests for the parties' disqualifications, and that "there is no place in the Knesset for those who harm IDF soldiers."

SEPTEMBER 14, 2026ByKESHET NEEV
Mansour Abbas is the head of Ra’am, one of four Arab parties vying for a place in the Knesset.

Arab Hadash-Ta’al, Ra’am parties sign agreement to reduce risk of lost votes

The move follows Ra’am, Hadash-Ta’al, and Balad running separately in the previous election and not signing an agreement on surplus votes

SEPTEMBER 13, 2026ByYOAV ETIEL
Yousef Jabareen attends Hadash–Ta'al faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on July 6, 2026.

Israeli polls split on 2026 Knesset election possibilities, as Yashar, Likud vie for primacy - poll

The bloc averages also show no clear outcome: Netanyahu’s bloc, including Winter, stands at 53.6 seats, compared with 53.4 for the Zionist opposition bloc.

SEPTEMBER 10, 2026ByMAARIV
Benjamin Netanyahu, Gadi Eisenkot, Naftali Bennett.

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."

SEPTEMBER 9, 2026ByJERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on June 29, 2026.