Former Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz will join the Ra’am Party slate, chairman MK Mansour Abbas announced on Monday, making him the first Jewish candidate for the religious Arab faction.
Segalovitz is expected to receive the second slot on the party’s slate, according to reports.
Abbas and Segalovitz made the announcement at a joint press conference, where Abbas stated: “We have work to do together.”
Segalovitz said the country could not bring about political change “without connection, including political connection.
“I explicitly want to break the paradigm of dividing lines and lines of discourse. I also want to break the paradigm of how political partnerships are formed.
“I am personally joining Ra’am. Some will say that this represents political weakness, but from my perspective, there is much greater strength and power in this.
“The common assertion that, after October 7, it is impossible to have a political partnership with Arab parties is absurd and false,” he added.
Segalovitz recently announced Knesset resignation
Segalovitz had recently announced his resignation from the Knesset and departure from Yesh Atid, which opposition leader Yair Lapid leads.
The addition of a Jewish candidate to the Arab party’s list has been widely seen as a way for Ra’am to be viewed as a more viable coalition partner.
In 2021, Ra’am joined the coalition during the Bennett-Lapid government, marking the first time an Arab party was a formal member of a governing coalition. The move to include Ra’am in the coalition was highly criticized.
Though Ra’am seeks to be part of the coalition again, most opposition parties in the bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have rejected the possibility of forming a government with any of the Arab parties. Most have said that a coalition with the Arab parties is not viable after the October 7 Hamas attacks.
Segalovitz was a former head of Israel Police’s Lahav 433 – The National Crime Unit. He had worked in the Knesset during the Bennett-Lapid government on combating violence and crime in Arab society.
There had been reports that Segalovitz would soon join the Arab party ahead of the October elections.
The other three major Arab parties – Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad – have agreed to run on a unified list, while still leaving the door open for Ra’am to join ahead of next week’s deadline for parties to submit their lists.
Despite polls showing that the Arab parties would earn more seats together, Abbas has held off on joining the Arab alliance.
The decision not to join the reduced Joint List is also widely viewed as a strategic move aimed at keeping Ra’am in contention for a place in the next coalition.
Party leaders in Netanyahu’s camp have accused the opposition bloc of seeking to form a government with the Arab parties, sharply criticizing prime ministerial candidate and Yashar Party leader Gadi Eisenkot as part of their campaign.
Likud MKs denounce Segalovitz joining Ra’am list
Following the announcement of Segalovitz’s addition to Ra’am’s list, ministers and MKs from Netanyahu’s party condemned the move.
Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana (Likud) said the move was “intended to achieve one thing: To legitimize the inclusion of an Islamist list in an Eisenkot government, whose members are unable to say, ‘Hamas is a terrorist organization.’”
Meanwhile, Democrats MK Gilad Kariv welcomed the alliance, stating it was “bringing good news to the citizens of Israel, both Jews and Arabs.”
“We will do everything we can to bring about change and a new direction, and we will work together to ensure personal security, equality, prosperity and hope for all Israeli citizens,” Kariv added.
Democrats chairman Yair Golan is the sole party leader in the opposition bloc who has openly called for forming a government with the Arab parties.
