MK Mansour Abbas, chairman of the Ra’am Party which represents the southern faction of the Islamic Movement in the Knesset, participated on Monday night in a meeting of the leaders of the opposition parties that dealt with ways of dealing with the Netanyahu government.
In an interview with the Arabic-language Nasradio on Tuesday, Abbas was asked if he and Ra'am intend to participate in a demonstration organized by the opposition that will take place in Tel Aviv on Saturday night.
Abbas replied, "First, I call on the Arab public to fulfill their role in political activity, in the political protest against the measures planned by this government. My basic point of view was that the stages at these demonstrations should be given to leaders who are not affiliated with parties, that is, to social leaders, to intellectuals, to people of the book."
Abbas also said that "the leaders of the parties and the political leaders have other stages in the Knesset. This was my point of view. I will probably participate next Saturday. A final decision has not yet been made."
The Hadash Party, led by MK Ayman Odeh, has been participating in the opposition’s demonstrations.
Last Saturday night, Odeh spoke at the demonstration in Tel Aviv, and was even attacked by a left-wing activist protester who was protesting Odeh's support for the toppling of the previous government.
In an interview with Nasradio last week, Odeh explained his party's approach regarding the protests, saying, "We are facing a very dangerous government. Instead of [the Arab parties] blaming one another, we must think about how to build some kind of alliance, some kind of coordination, including with Ra'am and with the opposition parties," Odeh said.
"In the coastal cities, we must hold regular meetings with the young people aged 16 and over and between the individuals responsible in each community so that we know how to protect our young people. We must also establish joint Arab and Jewish frameworks for protection and security," he added.