{"id":265369,"date":"2026-08-26T10:39:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:39:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/265369\/"},"modified":"2026-08-26T10:39:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-26T10:39:10","slug":"ben-gvirs-otzma-yehudit-calls-to-bar-raam-mk-abbas-from-knesset-elections","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/265369\/","title":{"rendered":"Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit calls to bar Ra’am MK Abbas from Knesset elections"},"content":{"rendered":"

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir\u2019s Otzma Yehudit called for Ra\u2019am chairman MK Mansour Abbas to be disqualified from running for the Knesset following remarks he made on Wednesday morning, claiming Arab parties were forced to accept Israel as a Jewish state<\/a> to avoid being barred from elections.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe senior partner of [Naftali] Bennett and [Gadi] Eisenkot in a future government<\/a> admits that he does not recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish state,\u201d the party\u2019s statement read.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe would tell you that what he is saying is delusional, but we are not surprised. He is from the Muslim Brotherhood. The delusion is that Eisenkot and Bennett dream every night about how they will form a government with him.\u201d<\/p>\n

Abbas\u2019s post was made as clarification after criticism over comments he made during an appearance on Channel 12\u2019s “Meet the Press,” where Amit Segal confronted him with previous statements, including his assertion that \u201cZionist gangs conquered Palestine.\u201d<\/p>\n

Segal said Abbas had indicated in the interview that he would not use the same formulation now. In his Wednesday post, Abbas maintained that changing his political language did not amount to abandoning his Palestinian identity or narrative.<\/p>\n

\"OtzmaOtzma Yehudit party chairman and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, together with members of his party, attends a supporters\u2019 conference ahead of the upcoming general elections in Petah Tikva, central Israel, August 16, 2026. (credit: ERIK MARMOR\/FLASH90)<\/p>\n

\u201cIs it not possible that different wording and a different political approach could actually express the truth of the Nakba, draw lessons from the historical experience accurately and wisely, and present a practical vision for the future? Could this not provide an opportunity to gain influence that would enable us to address the injustices and wounds we inherited from our ongoing Nakba, prevent a new displacement in its various forms, and move beyond the historical narrative in order to write the narrative of the future we aspire to?\u201d Abbas wrote on Facebook.<\/p>\n

Abbas: Accepting Israel as Jewish state was ‘imposed on us’<\/p>\n

Regarding the Jewish character of the state, Abbas wrote that it was \u201ca reality imposed on us and we did not choose it,\u201d adding that it reflected the choice of Israel\u2019s Jewish majority rather than a demand by Arab citizens.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe Arab parties were forced to accept it practically, otherwise they would be eliminated in the parliamentary and local elections,\u201d he wrote.<\/p>\n

Abbas said his political priority was instead to strengthen the standing of Arab citizens, secure national and civil rights, and seek influence within government rather than remain permanently in the opposition.<\/p>\n

Abbas reiterated that his position supporting \u201cthe recognition of the Palestinian state alongside the State of Israel\u201d was well known.<\/p>\n

\u201cOur supreme interest is to replace this racist government, even if it means paying the personal cost,\u201d he wrote. \u201cThe necessity of lifting and removing injustice, warding off and reducing corruption, and bringing and increasing benefits, requires us to take all possible measures to achieve this.\u201d<\/p>\n

Winter, Erdan also call to bar Abbas from Knesset<\/p>\n

Otzma Yehudit\u2019s statement further claimed that \u201cEisenkot and Bennett will let Mansour take control of the National Security Ministry. They will let him stop home demolitions in the Negev, enforcement against noise from the muezzin, shut down the protection-racket and polygamy units established by Minister Ben-Gvir<\/a>, and turn the Galilee and the Negev into Hamastan.\u201d<\/p>\n

Brig.-Gen. (res.) Ofer Winter, chairman of the newly launched Amcha Yisrael Party<\/a>, also stated that anyone who does not recognize Israel as a Jewish state should not be eligible for election to the Knesset.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnyone who does not recognize the State of Israel as a Jewish state can go to any Arab country he wants. And certainly such a person must not be allowed to be elected to the Knesset of Israel,\u201d Winter said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is time to understand: What was will be no more.\u201d<\/p>\n

Former Israeli ambassador to the UN Gilad Erdan, chairman of the Unity Party, decried the statement as well, stating Abbas was \u201cpulling the wool over the Election Committee\u2019s eyes, pulling the wool over the public\u2019s eyes, and there are those who fall into his trap.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHe does not want a Jewish state here; he wants an Islamic caliphate. Only a broad unity government will ensure a Zionist government, without Abbas and without deception,\u201d Erdan said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir\u2019s Otzma Yehudit called for Ra\u2019am chairman MK Mansour Abbas to be disqualified from…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":265370,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[33],"tags":[29674,37,16706,30318,20353,8750,21235,16708,37137],"class_list":["post-265369","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-israel","tag-2026-israeli-elections","tag-israel","tag-israel-elections","tag-israel-elections-2026","tag-israeli-election","tag-itamar-ben-gvir","tag-mansour-abbas","tag-otzma-yehudit","tag-raam"],"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@iran\/117161385595221089","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265369","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=265369"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/265369\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/265370"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=265369"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=265369"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=265369"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}