Yoav Segalovitz Joins Ra’am in Unprecedented Jewish-Arab Political Alliance

In an unprecedented political move ahead of Israel’s upcoming Knesset elections, former Knesset member and retired police Major General Yoav Segalovitz announced Monday evening that he is joining the Ra’am party, headed by Mansour Abbas.

Segalovitz is expected to be placed second on Ra’am’s electoral slate, immediately after Abbas, making him the first Jewish candidate to hold a senior position on the Arab-Israeli party’s list.

The announcement was made at a joint press conference in Nazareth, where Abbas and Segalovitz presented the move as an attempt to establish a new model of Jewish-Arab political cooperation in Israel.

“This evening, hope won,” Abbas declared.

Abbas: “I am not looking for someone who is like me”

Abbas said the decision was based on the need for political partnership rather than ideological uniformity.

“To create change, you need partnership,” Abbas said. “Ra’am is not afraid of partnership, and Ra’am is not waiting.”

Addressing those who may question why an Arab party needs a Jewish political figure, Abbas said he was not looking for someone who shared his identity or political background.

“I am not looking for someone who is like me. I am looking for someone who knows how to do the job,” he said.

Abbas emphasized that the partnership was not intended merely to benefit Arab citizens.

“This is not a favor to the Arabs,” he said, portraying the alliance as a joint Jewish-Arab effort focused on issues affecting Israeli society as a whole.

Segalovitz: “I am personally joining Ra’am”

Segalovitz, a former senior police commander who served as deputy minister of public security in the Bennett-Lapid government, said the alliance was deliberately designed around cooperation despite political and ideological differences.

“Our progress comes from understanding our differences, not from pretending that we are identical,” Segalovitz said.

He pointed to a number of areas where he believes cooperation is possible, including combating crime and violence, healthcare, welfare, planning and construction, and other issues affecting Israeli citizens.

“Yes, I want to break the paradigm of political boundaries and political discourse,” Segalovitz said. “I also want to break the paradigm of how political partnerships are created.”

He stressed that he was not joining Ra’am as part of another political faction.

“I am not joining Ra’am with a faction. I am personally joining Ra’am,” Segalovitz said.

A partnership built around the fight against crime

The alliance is rooted in the cooperation between Abbas and Segalovitz during the Bennett-Lapid government.

Segalovitz played a central role in the government's efforts to combat organized crime and violence in Arab communities. Before entering politics, he held senior positions in the Israel Police, including commander of Lahav 433 and head of the Investigations and Intelligence Branch.

As deputy public security minister, he was involved in the government's “Safe Route” program, which sought to combat criminal organizations, illegal weapons and violence in Arab communities.

Abbas portrayed the fight against crime as one of the central reasons for bringing Segalovitz into the party.

“The Arab citizen who buried his son does not ask what religion the police officer is,” Abbas said. “He asks why nobody came.”

He argued that crime in Arab communities has consequences for Jewish communities as well.

“This is not an Arab problem. This is a problem of the state,” Abbas said.

A potential breakthrough for Ra’am

The move could have significance beyond the symbolic value of placing a Jewish candidate on an Arab party's slate.

Ra’am has sought in recent years to position itself as a pragmatic political force capable of participating in national politics and influencing government decisions. The party made history when it became the first independent Arab party in decades to join an Israeli governing coalition, as part of the Bennett-Lapid government in 2021.

Segalovitz's decision could potentially make cooperation with Ra’am more politically acceptable to Jewish opposition parties that have traditionally been reluctant to rely on an Arab party for coalition formation.

The Times of Israel previously reported that Segalovitz's candidacy could help make Ra’am more acceptable to elements of the opposition bloc.

Likud attacks the alliance

The announcement immediately triggered a sharp response from the Likud.

The party argued that Segalovitz's presence on the Ra’am list would not change Abbas's positions on key national issues.

“Even Segalovitz will not hide the fact that Mansour Abbas refuses to recognize Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations and pushes for the establishment of a Palestinian state,” Likud said.

The party further claimed that Abbas, together with Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Lieberman and Yair Golan, would seek to establish a government supporting a Palestinian state.

The attack reflects the central political battle surrounding Ra’am: whether an Arab party can become a legitimate coalition partner in a future Israeli government despite significant disagreements over national identity, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and security policy.

A high-risk political experiment

The partnership represents a significant political gamble for both men.

For Abbas, recruiting a prominent Jewish former police commander may strengthen his argument that Ra’am can operate beyond the boundaries of Arab sector politics and become a partner in governing Israel.

For Segalovitz, however, the decision carries substantial political risk. He is leaving the political framework of Yesh Atid and joining an Arab-led party at a time of exceptionally deep Jewish-Arab tensions.

Segalovitz has argued that precisely because of the current polarization, political cooperation between Jews and Arabs is necessary.

The two politicians are therefore attempting something that goes well beyond a conventional electoral alliance: to demonstrate that political cooperation can be built around shared civic interests without requiring either side to abandon its identity.

Whether Israeli voters will accept that model may become one of the more consequential questions of the 2026 election campaign.