Abbas said ready to recognize Hamas as terror group in exchange for real ‘partnership’

Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas has told members of the anti-Netanyahu bloc that he is prepared to explicitly recognize Hamas as a terrorist organization in exchange for “genuine partnership” with other Israeli political parties, according to Hebrew media reports on Tuesday, in what could mark a significant step toward cooperation between the Arab party and the bloc in building a new government.

Should Abbas go ahead with such a recognition — which he has previously shied from — it could remove a key obstacle to Ra’am joining the bloc, whose leader, Yashar chair Gadi Eisenkot, has made recognizing Hamas as a terrorist organization one of his conditions for membership in a coalition.

Democrats leader Yair Golan appeared to confirm the reports when asked about it at his faction’s weekly meeting, saying, “I don’t think recognition will be an obstacle for Abbas and negotiations will take place.”

At his own faction meeting, however, Abbas declined to comment on discussions or negotiations, but reiterated that he and his party have “repeatedly accepted the dismantlement of Hamas” as part of US President Donald Trump’s peace plan and also that Ra’am “rejects and condemns all forms of terrorism.”

“We want to be part of the coalition and the next government,” Abbas said. “That is a basic right.”

Meanwhile, Ra’am MK Yasser Hujirat issued a statement aimed at clarifying a comment he had made in a recent i24news interview to the effect that Hamas is a “charity organization.”

Hujirat said his comments were edited and presented in a “tendentious and distorted” way, and that “part of my explanation was not carried in full, and what was left was a single sentence that created the impression I had claimed Hamas is a ‘charity organization.'”

He added: “I want to make this clear in terms that leave no room for ambiguity: I did not say that Hamas is a charity organization, I do not think so, and that is not my position.”

Hujirat also said: “I condemn and denounce terrorism of every kind, unreservedly and without [allowing for] any justification. I am firmly opposed to Hamas’s crimes, to the acts of murder and abduction, and to the enormous suffering caused to Israelis.”

Still, at his own faction meeting, hawkish Yisrael Beytenu chairman Avigdor Liberman reiterated that he will not be part of a minority government that relies on outside support from the two Arab parties in the Knesset, the Ynet outlet reported. He did not say anything about Abbas’s reported willingness to recognize Hamas as a terror group.

Liberman declared on Friday that the bloc should partner with the ultra-Orthodox parties, United Torah Judaism and Shas, despite significant differences on policy. Central to that is Liberman’s long-time demand to do away with sweeping army draft exemptions provided to the ultra-Orthodox, or Haredi, community. The Haredi parties are determined to see any incoming coalition preserve the exemptions.

Ra’am won eight seats in the Knesset, while its fellow Arab-majority party, the Joint List, won 11. Of the two Haredi parties, UTJ has seven seats and Shas six.

Entering the Knesset ahead of the swearing-in ceremonies, Democrats MK Na’ama Lazimi said Ra’am emphatically has a place in the government the anti-Netanyahu bloc is aiming to build.

Ra’am, she noted, “says it recognizes Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people, and the Declaration of Independence.”

It placed Yoav Segalovitz, a Jewish ex-police commander, at No. 2 on its slate, she added. “And it proposes a framework for civilian national service for Arabs.” The Arab community does not have a mandatory draft into the army like its non-Haredi Jewish counterpart.

“We were elected to rebuild democracy,” Lazimi added, “and you can’t reject 20 percent of society.”

Eisenkot is striving to form a government anchored by the bloc of 48 lawmakers he leads. Because that bloc is well short of a 61-seat majority in the Knesset, its members are seeking to replace Knesset Speaker Amir Ohana with Yashar MK Matan Kahana, which would enable them to advance legislation while Eisenkot works to persuade other parties to support his coalition.

Joint List MK Ahmad Tibi said they will back the opposition bloc’s choice of Kahana.

“The first crucial step signaling change is the replacement of the Knesset speaker,” Tibi told the Kan public broadcaster. “The Yashar party informed us that it would be Matan Kahana. I congratulate him, and we will vote for him because we want to be part of the change.”

Incumbent Speaker Ohana is from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. He has said he will schedule a discussion on the matter after the Knesset convenes on Tuesday if a majority of MKs request one, which they have now done. The opposition bloc is seeking to hold a vote next Tuesday.

If the opposition elects a new speaker and takes control of the Knesset Arrangements Committee, it could potentially pass bills Netanyahu has blocked, including establishing a state commission of inquiry into the Hamas-led October 7, 2023, attack, though the legislative process would be complex.