Abbas Says Senior Right-Wing Figure Approached Him About Cooperation

Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas disclosed on October 27 that a senior figure in the right-wing bloc had approached him a few days earlier about political cooperation. Speaking in an election-night television interview, Abbas said the figure had asked about his position on the “defendant law” and wanted to hold discussions. Abbas said he hoped the election would allow a change of government, with the change bloc and Ra'am together reaching 61 seats. He presented that combination as an outcome he wanted to see. “We are waiting for the actual results,” Abbas said, making his assessment dependent on the vote's outcome. He also offered his interpretation of Arab voter participation. Abbas described the turnout as an expression of despair and frustration turning into hope. His remarks linked that interpretation of voters' motivations to his wish to replace the government, rather than providing a final assessment of the parliamentary balance. Asked about opposition from Naftali Bennett and Avigdor Liberman, Abbas said the parties would discuss their positions after the election. He invoked the earlier change government and argued that it had been better than Benjamin Netanyahu's government.