MK Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra’am Party and head of the political wing of the southern faction of the Islamic Movement, calls on the Arab public in Israel to vote only for the Arab parties in the upcoming elections.
"There is no doubt that there are many differences in views and approaches between the Arab parties, and this is a natural and legitimate matter everywhere and in parliament in the world," wrote Abbas.
He added, "But despite all this, I say clearly and honestly: The Arab citizen should be aware of the fact that there is no one to represent him in the parliament except the Arab parties, and that his real political influence on the political equation in Israel is only related to these parties’ ability to influence, and not to anything else! Your vote is first and foremost Arab!"
On Tuesday, Abbas said in an interview with Nasradio that "in order to maintain a tool of influence for the benefit of our Arab society and to serve our issues, it is imperative that the pure Arab representation (in the Knesset) ... be as large as possible."