Ra’am Poised to Split from Islamic Movement Institutions in Strategic Rebranding

Ra’am Chairman Mansour Abbas announced on Saturday evening that the party will soon approve a historic decision to separate its organizational structure from the Islamic Movement and the Shura Council, establishing Ra’am’s institutions as fully independent bodies.

According to Abbas, the move—expected to be formally approved in the coming weeks—is intended to open Ra’am to broader audiences within Arab society and beyond, and to move away from the perception that the party represents only those closely identified with the Islamic Movement.

“This is a strategic decision,” Abbas said, emphasizing that Ra’am intends to incorporate additional groups and currents from Arab society. He stressed that the change is “not a precedent,” citing Hadash’s long-standing model, which operates as a political party alongside the Communist Party (Maki) while maintaining cooperation between the two.

Abbas added that the decision sends an important signal to both Arab and Jewish publics, particularly in light of what he described as “attempts to harm the party and lead to its disqualification.”

Political Reaction: Lieberman Dismissive 

Meanwhile, Yisrael Beiteinu Chairman Avigdor Lieberman repeated his longstanding position that the next Israeli government must exclude Arab parties.

“The next coalition must be a Zionist coalition – without Arabs, without Haredim, and without Netanyahu,” Lieberman said in an interview with Channel 12.
When asked specifically about Ra’am’s impending separation from the Shura Council, he responded: “It’s simply not interesting.”

Opposition leaders from the anti-Netanyahu bloc have also signaled they are not seeking partnership with Arab parties.
Former Prime Minister Naftali Bennett said earlier this year that “Israel needs a Zionist coalition without Arab parties.”

However, according to numerous recent polls, Netanyahu’s Jewish opponents cannot form a governing coalition without cooperation from Arab-led parties.
Ra’am currently represents the southern faction of the Islamic Movement.

The Islamic Movement’s southern branch emerged in the 1970s under Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish in Kafr Qassem. It grew rapidly by expanding religious and social services within Arab towns and villages, filling a political vacuum in Arab leadership.

In 1996, the movement split into northern and southern branches over participation in Knesset elections. In 2015, Israel outlawed the northern branch, labeling it extremist. The southern branch, represented politically by Ra’am, continued to operate legally and participate in Israeli politics.

Last month, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu declared his intention to “complete” what he called the outlawing of the Muslim Brotherhood. Despite the rhetoric, no branch of the Muslim Brotherhood is outlawed in Israel, and his comments appeared to refer to the already-banned northern branch of the Islamic Movement.
Netanyahu also hinted he might seek to outlaw the southern branch—though the Islamic Movement is not formally part of the Muslim Brotherhood, despite ideological similarities.