Full Breakdown
Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz Set to Become First Jewish Candidate on Ra’am’s List
8/1/2026, 12:04:39 PM
Planned Move to Ra’am
Yesh Atid member of the Knesset Yoav Segalovitz is reported to be preparing to run on the electoral slate of Mansour Abbas’s United Arab List (Ra’am). According to Ynet, Segalovitz is on vacation in Thailand and will meet Abbas after his return to sign a deal that would place him in the No. 2 slot on Ra’am’s list, a position that virtually guarantees a seat given the party’s consistent polling at about five seats. A source close to Segalovitz told Haaretz that the arrangement also earmarks him as the party’s preferred candidate for the national-security ministry should Ra’am join a governing coalition.
Background: Ra’am’s Evolution and Electoral Position
Ra’am, founded as an Arab Islamist party, joined a broad-based coalition in 2021 that briefly unseated Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Earlier this year Abbas announced that the party would separate from its religious council, establish its own institutions and open its ranks to Jewish candidates, a shift aimed at broadening its appeal beyond its traditional base. Polling commissioned by the party indicates it will secure roughly five Knesset seats in the upcoming October 27 election.
Potential Impact on Coalition Calculations
Segalovitz’s entry could alter the calculus of the Zionist bloc that opposes Prime Minister Netanyahu. Naftali Bennett, leading the centrist “Together” slate with Yesh Atid, has publicly ruled out any partnership with Ra’am, arguing that a post-Hamas-attack government should consist solely of Zionist parties. By contrast, Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing Democrats, has urged opposition parties to stop “demonizing” Ra’am and consider renewed cooperation. Former IDF chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot has signaled willingness to work with any party that accepts three core principles: Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, adherence to the Declaration of Independence, and universal mandatory national service.
Opposition Voices
National-Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir has condemned the prospective alliance, claiming that Segalovitz “paid money to crime families” and that the move would “greatly please the crime gangs.” Bennett’s rejection and Ben Gvir’s accusations reflect a broader right-wing reluctance to integrate Arab-led parties into future coalitions, even as Ra’am seeks to reposition itself as a cross-community political force.
