Journalist Says Likud Maintains Contact With Ra'am, Party Denies Claim

Senior figures in Likud and associates of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu have continued communicating with Mansour Abbas's Ra'am party, Channel 12 journalist Mohammad Magadli alleged in a radio interview on Monday, November 2. Likud denied the allegation, which comes amid continuing political controversy over cooperation with Arab parties.

Magadli made the remarks on 103FM's Sheva Tesha program during a conversation with hosts Gideon Oko and Amichai Attali. The journalist, who also presents a program on Radio Al-Nas, said people close to Netanyahu and officials within Likud had spoken to Abbas on multiple occasions since voting ended.

When asked whether communication between the parties was still possible, Magadli said the channel had remained open throughout. He alleged that even Likud's most senior figures approached Ra'am for discussions. According to his account, Ra'am has reasons to keep those exchanges out of public view while preserving a relationship it sees as a means of exercising political influence.

Magadli further argued that Netanyahu's political allies would be willing to depend on Arab parties if they needed their support to secure power. He said that, should Netanyahu fall a few seats short, his camp would seek support from Ra'am. He also contended that the bloc would accept reliance on both Ra'am and the Joint List if that were necessary to form a government.

The interview also addressed a post on X by the prime minister's son, Yair Netanyahu, who claimed that a future attack like October 7 would come from Arab citizens of Israel. Magadli condemned the statement and pointed to what he described as Arab citizens' contributions and mobilization on behalf of the country since the October 7 attacks.

Speaking as an Arab citizen, Magadli said Yair Netanyahu should return to Israel before offering moral criticism of its citizens. He emphasized that Arab citizens were among those kidnapped and murdered and said they had played a significant part in the country's rebuilding efforts. Magadli also criticized National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir during the interview.

Magadli accused Yair Netanyahu of changing his position on Ra'am according to his father's political interests. He said the prime minister's son had previously praised the party and described it as important when doing so suited Netanyahu.

In its response, Likud dismissed Magadli's account as false and denied maintaining contact with Arab parties. The party said it had not held, and would not hold, talks with Arab parties it characterized as supporting terrorism. It accused the media of dishonestly trying to legitimize the left-wing bloc's reliance on those parties.