Mansour Abbas, leader of Ra'am (the United Arab List), addressed Israel's Jewish identity on Wednesday in remarks reported by political commentator Amit Segal. Abbas characterized the state's Jewish character as an imposed reality rather than a voluntary acceptance by Israel's Arab citizens.
"The Jewish nature of the state is an existing situation imposed on us, not something we chose," Abbas stated. "This is the choice of the Jewish majority, not our demand."
He went on to explain how Arab political parties relate to Israel's self-definition as a Jewish state. He said these parties have been compelled to accept this reality in practical terms, partly due to the threat of disqualification from elections.
"Arab parties were forced to accept this practically, because otherwise they risk being disqualified from running in Knesset elections and local authority races," he said.
He then outlined what he sees as the proper political priorities for Arab representation in Israel. He emphasized that the goal extends beyond mere parliamentary opposition to include active participation in governing coalitions.
