Yesh Atid MK Yoav Segalovitz is reportedly planning to run in the upcoming election on the electoral slate of Mansour Abbas’s Ra’am, becoming the party’s first Jewish candidate for Knesset.

The move would mark a landmark shift for Ra’am, which has historically been an Arab Islamist party but pivoted recently to separate from its religious roots.

Segalovitz’s switch will also impact the ongoing debate over whether the bloc of parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should partner with Arab-led factions in its bid to oust the premier. Ra’am made history in 2021 when it joined an ideologically diverse coalition to briefly unseat Netanyahu, but some opposition politicians have ruled out including Arab parties in their coalition in the October 27 election.

The Ynet news site reported that Segalovitz — a former senior police official — is currently on vacation in Thailand and, upon his return next week, will meet with Abbas to sign a deal for him to join the party.

Segalovitz intends to take the No 2 spot on Ra’am’s electoral list, a source from the Arab community close to Segalovitz told the Haaretz daily. That will make him very likely to return to the Knesset, given that the party consistently polls around five seats.

He will also be the party’s preferred candidate to become the next national security minister should Ra’am join a governing coalition, the source said.

Meanwhile, Abbas has conducted polling to determine the impact of Segalovitz’s joining of his party on the potential........

© The Times of Israel