Ra'am Chair Mansour Abbas said at the Knesset in a statement to the press: "They are trying to tarnish us as supporters of terrorism. We despise this discourse."
He added, "We are examining the law for direct election and our position will be determined by the good of Arab society and the good of Ra'am."
"We have achieved our goal of putting Arab citizens and the problems of Arab society in Israel's priorities," he said.
Abbas spoke in front of two Israeli flags and the state emblem.