'I am going to an Arab party, they aren't coming to me': Segalovitz explains Ra'am move - interview

Yoav Segalovitz is heading into Israel’s election as the second candidate on Ra’am’s slate, a striking partnership between a Jewish Zionist former police commander and a party built mainly around an Arab Muslim constituency. He will join Ra’am’s parliamentary faction but will not formally become a party member.

At a joint news conference in Nazareth, Segalovitz emphasized the differences between himself and Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas. He described himself as Jewish, secular and Zionist, a former army officer who rose to one of the Israel Police’s highest ranks. Abbas, he said, is Arab, a religious Muslim and socially conservative.

“What connects us is that we are all Israelis,” Segalovitz said. “That is our shared identity.” He said he did not view Ra’am or Abbas as a threat and argued that Israel should be strong enough to extend a hand to Arab citizens who want to participate in the country.

“

What connects us is that we are all Israelis

Segalovitz, 67, previously led the Israel Police Investigations and Intelligence Division and the Lahav 433 national crime unit. During the previous government, he coordinated the state’s campaign against organized crime and violence in Arab communities. That role brought him into contact with Arab mayors and local leaders before he began discussing a political alliance with Abbas.

His departure from Yesh Atid has faced resistance across the political system. Yair Lapid said he believed Segalovitz was making a mistake, though he respected the decision. Avigdor Liberman said Ra’am could not be a coalition partner. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has made the opposition’s possible reliance on Abbas a campaign issue, presenting voters with a choice between his government and a rival bloc supported by Ra’am. Ra’am previously participated in the coalition that governed Israel from 2021 to 2022.

“

I do not see Ra’am or Mansour Abbas as a threat