The Arab Kingmaker in Israel’s Election Who Wants a Partnership With Jews

A casual consumer of the advertising ahead of Israel’s Oct. 27 election could be forgiven for thinking that the gravest threat to the country’s future is a dentist-turned-politician named Mansour Abbas. For months, Mr. Abbas, the head of an Islamist party called the United Arab List, or Raam, has been involuntarily starring in campaign ads for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In them, Mr. Netanyahu warns Jewish voters that, if he is voted out, Mr. Abbas will be the real power in the next government , a danger to Israel from within and a driving force in establishing what many right-wing Israelis fear most: a Palestinian state . In fact, Mr. Abbas’s stated priorities have little to do with the West Bank and Gaza, and everything to do with Israel’s Arab citizens, who make up about 20 percent of the population and are plagued by violent crime and discriminatory housing policies. Image An election billboard of Israel’s Likud party, showing Mr. Netanyahu and Mr. Abbas with the words “Yamin o Filastin” — “Right-wing or Palestine” — in Netanya, Israel, this month. Credit... Jack Guez/Agence France-Presse — Getty Images What makes Mr. Netanyahu’s relentless attacks on him especially charged is that Mr. Abbas may turn out to be the kingmaker in the election — a role he has played before. In Israel’s multiparty system, if opposition leaders do not accept Mr. Abbas’s support, it could be impossible for them to form a big enough coalition to force Mr. Netanyahu from office. That makes Mr. Abbas arguably the most influential Arab politician Israel has had. It is all the more unlikely given that Raam — created in 1996 by a branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, which works to strengthen Muslim identity and empower the Arab minority in Israel — is a socially conservative party, making for strange bedfellows with the liberal parties. We are having trouble retrieving the article content. Please enable JavaScript in your browser settings. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. If you are in Reader mode please exit and log into your Times account, or subscribe for all of The Times. Thank you for your patience while we verify access. Already a subscriber? Log in . Want all of The Times? Subscribe .