Ra’am’s Abbas says figures from both political blocs have approached him amid coalition deadlock

By Ariela Karmel

You will receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

You will no longer receive email alerts from this author. Manage alert preferences on your profile page

Today, 12:03 am

Edit

Ariela Karmel is a political correspondent at The Times of Israel. She previously reported for Calcalist and Haaretz. She holds an MA in Middle Eastern and African History from Tel Aviv University and a BA in Political Science from the University of British Columbia.

Ra'am party head Mansour Abbas, left, and No. 2 Yoav Segalovitz speak following the release of exit poll results on election night, in Sakhnin, October 27, 2026. (Michael Giladi/Flash90)

Ra’am party chairman Mansour Abbas indicates that he is in contact with figures from both the pro- and anti-Netanyahu blocs following exit polls showing neither side has a clear path to forming a government.

“Everyone is speaking with us, not just from the ‘change bloc,'” Abbas tells Channel 12, suggesting that figures from the pro-Netanyahu bloc have also approached him.

Abbas signals his willingness to join a government led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot, but says it must first become clear that such a coalition is viable.

He acknowledges that “currently there aren’t numbers for a government,” with exit polls projecting 52 seats for the Zionist opposition parties and seven for Ra’am – two short of the 61-seat majority needed to form a coalition.

While the three main exit polls project a combined 70 seats for parties opposed to Netanyahu, several Zionist opposition parties have ruled out governing alongside Arab parties, complicating efforts to form a coalition.