Mansour Abbas
Mansour AbbasNoam Moskowitz/Knesset spokesperson

United Arab List (Ra'am) chairman MK Mansour Abbas sees joining the coalition as one of his party's greatest achievements and expects to see the implementation of more plans and laws approved by the government in the coming year.

In an interview with Sanaa Hamoud in collaboration with Radio al-Nas, Abbas said that Ra'am had set out to break the "glass ceiling" in Israeli politics that prevented the Arab sector from participating in decision-making at the national level, and that the party is now able to represent all parts in the Arab sector, including אhe Druze and the Circassians, and prevent the exclusion from which they suffered for years.

Abbas enumerated three challenges facing Ra'am in 2022: the fight against crime in the Arab sector, establishing the status of the Arab sector and Arab politics in Israel against the background of right-wing attempts to keep Arab parties out of power and dealing with disagreements within the coalition.

He noted that there have been disagreements with the right-wing parties in the coalition, including on the issue of the Citizenship Law, but that understandings could be reached that would allow the partnership to continue and gradually implement the party's goals. According to him, this controversies in the coalition do not pose a threat similar in weight to the attempt of the right-wing parties in the opposition to remove Ra'am from power.

Abbas added that in the coming year, Ra'am plans to focus its efforts on representing the Bedouin in the Negev, promoting the recognition and development of unrecognized communities, as well as influencing police policy on crime, fines for illegal construction and building permits in the Arab sector.