Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas votes, says all major parties have reached out to him

Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas casts his vote in a quiet schoolyard square in his hometown of Maghar in northern Israel.

Abbas says he is optimistic that he will pass the electoral threshold; Ra’am has seen increasingly favorable polling in recent weeks, but is still in danger of falling below the threshold.

“We’re looking for meaningful representation for Arab Israelis, representation that can influence decision-making,” Abbas tells reporters, adding that “every party that hopes to be in power” has sought to reach out to his party in the past few weeks.

“They are checking to see our stance. We don’t have an unequivocal answer, but we will put forward our demands,” Abbas says.

Asked directly whether he will join with Netanyahu in the next government, Abbas repeats his main message: “Whoever comes toward us, we’ll work with them.”

“I don’t rule out the possibility,” Abbas says, before setting off for Ra’am party headquarters in Tamra.

Netanyahu has repeatedly ruled out a government propped up by the Islamist party.