The leadership of the Islamist Ra'am party is going through a tough time, especially its leader, Mansour Abbas, infamous in both the Jewish and Arab societies due to recent events. The pressure is mounting from several directions due to the decision to suspend the coalition.
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Public criticism for the decision not to leave the coalition, the continued clashes in Jerusalem during Ramadan, and the Joint Arab Lists' public and media efforts to denounce the government all cause a sense of unease among Ra'am members, who are considered "traitors" in the Arab public.
The matter has led to harsh debates between supporters of the JAL and supporters of Ra'am, and may even lead to a rift in the sector.
As for Ra'am, its members are also divided. Abbas and MK Iman Khatib-Yassin are on one side, and MKs Walid Taha and Mazen Ghanem are on the other. Taha and Ghanem are trying to persuade Abbas to issue coalition leaders an ultimatum, and if it fails to follow, leave the government, causing its demise in the process. This way, Ra'am will be presented as the party that brought about the collapse of the coalition that failed to fulfill its demands.
Precisely the lawmakers that MK Amichai Chikli hated with all his heart and considered "haters of Israel," and following their entry into the coalition became the great opponent of the man who had brought him into politics in the first place – Prime Minister Naftali Bennett – may become the people that will save him ahead of a Knesset committee debating his resignation. This is politics: the art of the possible.
Ra'am lawmakers are waving a war on several fronts: they are making it seem that they are a threat to the coalition, but they will not be quick to topple it, and if they do, they will go all the way.
The reason they drag on is due to the internal polls they conduct in order to receive support and understand the situation, whether they will be the factor to bring down the coalition. And yet, Ra'am is not interested in another election round at this point, mainly due to having brought about few significant achievements in the Arab sector.
In addition, the next elections – if and when they take place – Ra'am will most likely lose MK Mazen Ghnaim both due to a dispute with Abbas and his plans to run for mayor of Sakhnin again. This means that the party will lose some of its support, especially in the Galilee region, and will be in danger of failing to cross the four-seat electoral threshold.
If the inclusion of an Arab party into the coalition turns out to be a failure, it is doubtful whether such an attempt will be repeated. It is even more doubtful whether a new government will form given the current state of the Knesset.
This will lead to a decrease in the number of Arabs integrating into politics, and that is a much greater danger than the presence of an Arab party in the coalition.
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