Mansour Abbas places Zionist ex-police chief second on Raam's election list

Mansour Abbas, head of the Raam party, introduced Yoav Segalovich, a former senior police commander and ex-deputy public security minister, as the second candidate on the party’s ballot. Segalovich will appear on the electoral list and sit with the Raam faction in the Knesset, but he will not become a formal party member and will keep the ability to vote independently on matters where his Zionist stance diverges from Raam’s platform.

The strategy aims to demonstrate that Arab representation can be politically usable by inviting a mainstream Zionist figure onto an Arab-led slate. Abbas believes this could make Arab seats more attractive to coalition partners, especially after the October 7 war reshaped political calculations. Critics within the broader Arab alliance argue the move compromises ideological purity, while supporters see it as a step toward practical governance and resource allocation for Palestinian citizens of Israel.