Ra'am's Mansour Abbas backs Eisenkot for prime minister, says Hamas must disarm

Mansour Abbas, who leads the Arab party Ra'am, told President Isaac Herzog on Thursday that Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yashar party, should be given the mandate to form Israel's next government. Ynet reported that Abbas called on Eisenkot to put together what he termed a "lightning government" and said Hamas needs to give up its weapons. The Jerusalem Post reported that Abbas said his party fully supports the disarmament of Hamas.

During the same meeting, Abbas would not describe Hamas as a terrorist organisation when Herzog put the question to him directly. The Times of Israel reported that he explained his refusal by pointing to his wish to serve as a "bridge" to Palestinians and to the possible danger it could bring to him and his relatives. The meeting, held in Jerusalem at the official home of the president, took place on November 5, 2026.

How Israel's president picks a candidate to form a government

After a general election, the president holds a round of meetings with representatives of every party that won seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament. Each party says which lawmaker, if any, it wants the president to entrust with building a coalition. The president then assigns that task to the candidate judged most likely to succeed. The Times of Israel said Thursday was the second day of these meetings following the election to the 26th Knesset.

The recommendations are not binding on the parties when coalition negotiations begin, but they signal which blocs are willing to support which candidate, and the president weighs them in deciding whom to task first.

Abbas's case for Eisenkot

According to a post by the commentator Amit Segal, Abbas told Herzog that Eisenkot should establish a government quickly, even a temporary one, and then broaden it once he is installed in the Prime Minister's Office. In an earlier post, Segal quoted Abbas as saying his party believes a new government can be formed that would be better than what he called the "government of failures".

Ynet reported that Abbas also said he had no ambition to shape the security policy of such a government, a statement that appears aimed at concerns about an Arab party's role in a coalition.

The Hamas question

The exchange over Hamas carries particular weight because of Eisenkot's own stated position. The Times of Israel noted that Eisenkot has made recognising Hamas as a terror group a requirement for any party that wants to join a government under his leadership. Abbas recommended him nonetheless while declining to use that label himself.

Ynet quoted Abbas as saying he was protecting his family and describing the matter as one of pikuach nefesh. The Hebrew phrase refers to a principle in Jewish law under which preserving human life takes precedence over almost every other religious obligation. By invoking it, Abbas framed his refusal as a matter of physical safety rather than political disagreement.

His two positions, support for disarming Hamas and refusal to call it a terrorist group, were reported side by side by both Ynet and The Jerusalem Post, and the reports do not differ on what he said.

Other moments from the consultations

Ynet's report also described other meetings held as part of the same round. It said representatives of Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), the far-right party led by Itamar Ben Gvir, alleged that the election had been stolen. Herzog responded, according to Ynet, by urging caution and suggesting that Ben Gvir himself may have prompted Arab citizens to turn out to vote.

Ynet further reported that United Torah Judaism, an ultra-Orthodox party, abstained and did not recommend Benjamin Netanyahu. A photograph published by The Jerusalem Post showed members of the Joint List, another Arab political alliance, arriving for their own meeting with Herzog on the same day.

About Ra'am

Ra'am, formally the United Arab List, is described by The Times of Israel as a traditionalist Arab party. Abbas sits in the Knesset as its chairman and appeared with party colleagues at a press conference after the meeting with the president.

What the reports do not say

None of the reports carries a response from Eisenkot or Yashar to Ra'am's recommendation, or says whether his condition on recognising Hamas as a terror group would rule out Ra'am's participation in a government he leads. Herzog's decision on whom to task with forming a government had not been announced in the material, and The Jerusalem Post's account of Abbas's remarks was available only in part.