Mansour Abbas

Abbas was born in the town of Maghar in the Northern District of Israel, to a Muslim-Arabic family. His parents were farmers, and he had 10 siblings.{{Cite magazine |last=Halpern |first=Orly |date=11 June 2021 |title='It's Possible to Do Things Differently.' The Arab Kingmaker Who Joined Israel's Far-Right to Oust Netanyahu |url=https://time.com/6073019/mansour-abbas-arab-israel-coalition-government/ |magazine=Time |language=en |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219031803/https://time.com/6073019/mansour-abbas-arab-israel-coalition-government/ |url-status=live }} He began delivering sermons at the Peace Mosque in Maghar at the age of 17. He defines himself also as a Palestinian.

He attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem to study dentistry. Abbas qualified as a dentist, though as of October 2023 his licence to practice has lapsed.{{cite web |title=Dental Certification Mansour Abbas |url=https://practitioners.health.gov.il/Practitioners/2/search?name=%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A8%20%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A1 |access-date=24 June 2021 |website=Ministry of Health, Israel |archive-date=18 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220918160347/https://practitioners.health.gov.il/Practitioners/2/search?name=%D7%9E%D7%A0%D7%A1%D7%95%D7%A8%20%D7%A2%D7%91%D7%90%D7%A1 |url-status=live }}{{Cite magazine |last=Margalit |first=Ruth |date=2021-10-22 |title=The Arab-Israeli Power Broker in the Knesset |url=https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/01/the-arab-israeli-power-broker-in-the-knesset |magazine=The New Yorker |language=en-US |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=4 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204192622/https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2021/11/01/the-arab-israeli-power-broker-in-the-knesset |url-status=live }} While at the university, he served as chair of the Arab Students Committee between 1997 and 1998.

During his time at the university, Abbas met Abdullah Nimar Darwish, the founder of the Islamic Movement. Abbas also studied political science at the University of Haifa.

In 2007, Abbas became Secretary General of the United Arab List,{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190324194320/https://www.maariv.co.il/elections2019/parties/member/Mansour-Abbas|title=מנסור עבאס|website=Maariv}} and in 2010 he was elected Deputy Chairman of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement.

In the April 2019 Knesset election, Abbas was nominated by the United Arab List and Balad to lead their joint party in the election.{{cite web|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210123112939/https://bechirot21.bechirot.gov.il/election/Candidates/Pages/OneListCandidates.aspx?LPF=Search&WebId=6adadc15-e476-480b-9746-04490aedeb0f&ListID=ba72a662-765c-45af-9d48-fb68080956af&ItemID=104&FieldID=ListNickname_GxS_Text|title=Ra'am–Balad list|website=Central Elections Committee}} He was subsequently elected to the Knesset as the alliance won four seats. Abbas attracted controversy when he spoke in support of conversion therapy to LGBTQ+ youth in an interview with Walla News, leading to his condemnation by other Joint List politicians.{{cite web|title=Arab MK: LGBTQ rights are human rights, Arab community is evolving|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/arab-mk-lgbtq-rights-are-human-rights-arab-community-is-evolving-634665|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=11 July 2020|first=Leon|last=Sverdlov|access-date=6 December 2020|archive-date=22 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201122115423/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/arab-mk-lgbtq-rights-are-human-rights-arab-community-is-evolving-634665|url-status=live}}

Further divisiveness was caused by Abbas's apparent attempt to improve ties with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his right-wing Likud party. He gave an interview with the right-wing pro-Netanyahu Channel 20 Network, where he advocated working with Zionist parties in order to secure the funds and reforms needed for the benefit of Arab Israeli society.{{cite web|title=Arab MK under fire from his party for urging cooperation with Netanyahu|url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-mk-under-fire-from-his-party-for-urging-cooperation-with-netanyahu/|work=The Times of Israel|date=25 November 2020|access-date=31 January 2021|archive-date=25 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210125140004/https://www.timesofisrael.com/arab-mk-under-fire-from-his-party-for-urging-cooperation-with-netanyahu/|url-status=live}}

On 21 April 2020, Abbas delivered a historic speech on the Holocaust in the Knesset in which he spoke of the suffering of the Jewish people at the hands of the Nazis. Abbas stated: "As a religious Palestinian Muslim Arab, who was raised on the legacy of Sheikh Abdullah Nimr Darwish who founded the Islamic Movement, I have empathy for the pain and suffering over the years of Holocaust survivors and the families of the murdered." He added, "I stand here to show solidarity with the Jewish people here and forever."{{Cite web |last1=Issan-Benchimol |first1=Noémie |last2=Beressi |first2=Elie |date=10 March 2022 |title=An Islamist Rewrites the Rules of the Political Game in Israel |url=https://k-larevue.com/en/an-islamist-rewrites-the-rules-of-the-political-game-in-israel/ |access-date=2023-11-05 |website=K. Jews, Europe, the XXIst century |language=en-US |archive-date=14 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231014022035/https://k-larevue.com/en/an-islamist-rewrites-the-rules-of-the-political-game-in-israel/ |url-status=live }}

Abbas joined the rest of the Joint List in voting against the Abraham Accords. He described his vote as a protest against the lack of a peace treaty with the Palestinians, adding, "If there will be a real agreement with the Palestinians, there will be real agreements with 55 Muslim countries. But what truly matters is that we are Israelis, and our actions are not supposed to be influenced by whether there is peace with Bahrain."{{cite web|title=Meet Mansour Abbas, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's unlikely ally|url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/meet-mansour-abbas-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahus-unlikely-ally-649668|work=The Jerusalem Post|date=19 November 2020|first=Gil|last=Hoffman|author-link=Gil Hoffman|access-date=31 January 2021|archive-date=31 January 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210131083736/https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/meet-mansour-abbas-prime-minister-benjamin-netanyahus-unlikely-ally-649668|url-status=live}}

In January 2021, in the buildup to the 2021 elections, the United Arab List split from the Joint List.{{cite web |date=28 January 2021 |title=Knesset panel approves Joint List's breakup after talks with Ra'am faction fail |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-panel-approves-joint-lists-breakup-after-talks-with-raam-faction-fail/ |access-date=7 February 2021 |website=The Times of Israel |archive-date=28 January 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210128145959/https://www.timesofisrael.com/knesset-panel-approves-joint-lists-breakup-after-talks-with-raam-faction-fail/ |url-status=live }} Analysts attributed the split to a larger, more fundamental disagreement about whether to engage fully with Israeli politics as a means to improve quality of life for Arab Israeli citizens, which Abbas advocates, or to reject full engagement with domestic Israeli politics in order to focus on the larger Israeli-Palestinian conflict.{{Cite news |title=Why 1 Arab Party Joined Israel's Coalition Government But The Other Did Not |language=en |work=NPR |url=https://www.npr.org/2021/06/17/1007493965/why-1-arab-party-joined-israels-coalition-government-but-the-other-did-not |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219021607/https://www.npr.org/2021/06/17/1007493965/why-1-arab-party-joined-israels-coalition-government-but-the-other-did-not |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Kingsley |first=Patrick |date=2021-07-04 |title=As Secular Peace Effort Stutters in Israel, Religious Mediators Hope to Step In |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/04/world/Israel-peace-islamists-raam-party.html |access-date=2022-02-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219022251/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/07/04/world/Israel-peace-islamists-raam-party.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news|title=Arab Parties' Fight for Political Control in Israel's Negev Reaches Boiling Point|language=en|work=Haaretz|url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-arab-parties-fight-for-political-control-in-israel-s-negev-reaches-boiling-point-1.10614153|access-date=2022-02-19|archive-date=19 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219025005/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-arab-parties-fight-for-political-control-in-israel-s-negev-reaches-boiling-point-1.10614153|url-status=live}}{{Cite web |last=Falk |first=Thomas O. |date=2 July 2021 |title=Can United Arab List change Israeli politics from within? |url=https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/2/analysis-can-united-arab-list-change-israeli-politics |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=Al Jazeera English |archive-date=22 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220122095204/https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/7/2/analysis-can-united-arab-list-change-israeli-politics |url-status=live }} Abbas attributed this position to the influence of his mentor, Sheikh Abdullah, and described Abdullah's funeral as a philosophical turning point for him.

During the 2021 Israeli-Palestinian crisis, Abbas condemned the burning of several synagogues in Lod by rioters, appealing to Muslim values and respect for the rule of law and vowing to help rebuild them. His actions earned him both praise from Jewish leaders and politicians, and anger from Muslim leaders, including calls to resign.{{Cite news |date=2021-05-12 |title=Lod: Why an Israeli town's mayor is warning of civil war |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57085023 |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219020731/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-57085023 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Daventry |first=Michael |date=17 May 2021 |title=Israeli Arab leader Mansour Abbas visits synagogue torched in Lod |url=https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/israeli-arab-leader-mansour-abbas-visits-synagogue-torched-in-lod/ |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=Jewish News |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219020732/https://www.jewishnews.co.uk/israeli-arab-leader-mansour-abbas-visits-synagogue-torched-in-lod/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=16 May 2021 |title=Mansour Abbas: We will repair synagogues torched by Arabs |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/mansour-abbas-we-will-repair-synagogues-torched-by-arabs/ |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219020732/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/mansour-abbas-we-will-repair-synagogues-torched-by-arabs/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Hauser Tov |first=Michael |date=17 May 2021 |title=Islamist Leader Faces Ire Over Visit to Burned Synagogue: 'His Position Is in Danger' |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-islamist-leader-faces-ire-over-visit-to-synagogue-burned-in-jewish-arab-clashes-1.9816831 |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219020731/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-islamist-leader-faces-ire-over-visit-to-synagogue-burned-in-jewish-arab-clashes-1.9816831 |url-status=live }}

According to the by-laws of the party, limiting MKs to three terms, Abbas was ineligible to run again for office in the 2021 elections. Abbas stated "I have to respect the institutions of Ra'am, if the bylaws are not changed, even though they didn't anticipate four elections in two years when they made the rules." However, he ran in the election as party leader and the United Arab List won four seats.

On 2 June 2021, after holding negotiations with Israeli opposition figures Yair Lapid and Naftali Bennett, Abbas renewed his commitment to backing a non-Netanyahu government after signing a coalition agreement with Lapid, thereby forming the thirty-sixth government of Israel.{{cite news |date=2 June 2021 |title=Mansour Abbas signs coalition agreement to unseat Benjamin Netanyahu |work=The National |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/mansour-abbas-signs-coalition-agreement-to-unseat-benjamin-netanyahu-1.1233837 |access-date=2 June 2021 |archive-date=4 May 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220504231537/https://www.thenationalnews.com/mena/mansour-abbas-signs-coalition-agreement-to-unseat-benjamin-netanyahu-1.1233837 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last= |first= |date=2 June 2021 |title=Lapid Expected to Tell President He Has Succeeded in Forming a Government |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/LIVE-lapid-aims-to-announce-new-government-with-bennett-at-the-helm-1.9866751 |access-date=2 June 2021 |archive-date=3 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210603055839/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/elections/LIVE-lapid-aims-to-announce-new-government-with-bennett-at-the-helm-1.9866751 |url-status=live }} A photograph of Abbas signing the agreement, which made Ra'am the first independent Arab party to be part of a governing coalition, was widely circulated; after signing it, Bennett praised Abbas as a "courageous" leader.{{Cite news |last=Kershner |first=Isabel |date=2021-06-02 |title=The Arab party Raam makes history within coalition. |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/world/middleeast/arab-party-raam-coalition.html |access-date=2022-02-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=18 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218225408/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/02/world/middleeast/arab-party-raam-coalition.html |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last1=Kingsley |first1=Patrick |last2=Rasgon |first2=Adam |date=2021-06-03 |title=Fragile Israeli Coalition to Oust Netanyahu Faces Growing Pressure |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/03/world/israel-prime-minister |access-date=2022-02-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219002426/https://www.nytimes.com/live/2021/06/03/world/israel-prime-minister |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Hoffman |first=Gil |date=3 June 2021 |title=Bennett: Mansour Abbas courageous leader |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/bennett-abbas-courageous-leader-670068 |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219012222/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/bennett-abbas-courageous-leader-670068 |url-status=live }} The agreement included pledges to spend approximately {{Usd|16 billion}} to improve infrastructure and reduce crime in Arab towns, to protect homes built without permits in Arab villages, and to recognize four Bedouin towns in the Negev desert.{{Cite news|last=Ayyub|first=Rami|date=2021-06-03|title=Arab Islamist helps clinch Israel's new anti-Netanyahu government|language=en|work=Reuters|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/arab-islamist-helps-clinch-israels-new-anti-netanyahu-government-2021-06-03/|access-date=2022-02-19|archive-date=18 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220218225257/https://www.reuters.com/world/arab-islamist-helps-clinch-israels-new-anti-netanyahu-government-2021-06-03/|url-status=live}}{{Cite news |last=Rasgon |first=Adam |date=2021-06-10 |title=A New Israeli Government Could Mean Help for Neglected Bedouin Villages |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/world/middleeast/israel-government-bedouin-villages.html |access-date=2022-02-19 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219020315/https://www.nytimes.com/2021/06/10/world/middleeast/israel-government-bedouin-villages.html |url-status=live }}

On 28 October 2021 the Israeli cabinet approved a plan to spend {{Usd|9.4 billion}} to improve employment opportunities and health services for Israeli Arabs and improve housing, technology, and infrastructure in Arab areas;{{Cite news |date=2021-10-25 |title=Israeli cabinet backs huge spending plan for Arab minority |language=en-GB |work=BBC News |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-59039911 |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219011438/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-59039911 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last1=Khoury |first1=Jack |last2=Peleg |first2=Bar |last3=Efrati |first3=Ido |last4=Kadari-Ovadia |first4=Shira |date=28 October 2021 |title=Five-year Plan for Israel's Arab Community: $9 Billion Won't Bridge a Gap Decades in the Making |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-five-year-plan-for-israel-s-arab-community-9-billion-won-t-bridge-the-gap-1.10329395 |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219010338/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-five-year-plan-for-israel-s-arab-community-9-billion-won-t-bridge-the-gap-1.10329395 |url-status=live }} it included a further {{Usd|1 billion}} to address high crime rates in Arab areas.{{Cite web |last=Boxerman |first=Aaron |date=24 October 2021 |title=Cabinet okays NIS 32 billion to develop Arab Israeli economy, fight crime |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/cabinet-okays-over-nis-32-billion-to-develop-arab-israeli-economy-fight-crime/ |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219010340/https://www.timesofisrael.com/cabinet-okays-over-nis-32-billion-to-develop-arab-israeli-economy-fight-crime/ |url-status=live }} Abbas was widely credited with accomplishing an "historic step" forward for Arab Israelis in securing this unprecedented amount of funding.{{Cite news |date=2022-01-17 |title=Arab leader's gamble to play kingmaker in Israel is paying off |language=en |work=NPR |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.npr.org/2022/01/17/1073565965/arab-leaders-gamble-to-play-kingmaker-in-israel-is-paying-off |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219014358/https://www.npr.org/2022/01/17/1073565965/arab-leaders-gamble-to-play-kingmaker-in-israel-is-paying-off |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Boxerman |first=Aaron |date=8 October 2021 |title=As unprecedented billions planned for under-served Arabs, devil's in the details |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-unprecedented-billions-planned-for-under-served-arabs-devils-in-the-details/ |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219020802/https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-unprecedented-billions-planned-for-under-served-arabs-devils-in-the-details |url-status=live }} The plan was signed into law when the budget passed on 4 November 2021.{{Cite web |last1=Wootliff |first1=Raoul |date=4 November 2021 |title=Coalition passes 2021 budget, first in 3.5 years, averting early election threat |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/coalition-passes-2021-budget-first-in-years-as-rest-of-vote-a-thon-awaits/ |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219010343/https://www.timesofisrael.com/coalition-passes-2021-budget-first-in-years-as-rest-of-vote-a-thon-awaits/ |url-status=live }}

File:Isaac Herzog at the inauguration of the first Hall of Culture in the city of Rahat, February 2022 (KBG GPO1299).jpg and young Bedouins in the city of Rahat, 15 February 2022]]

Under Abbas's direction the coalition government recognized several Bedouin villages and has connected tens of thousands of previously illegal homes to the electrical grid.{{Cite web |last=Boxerman |first=Aaron |date=3 November 2021 |title=Government legalizes 3 unrecognized Bedouin towns, fulfilling Ra'am's pledge |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/government-legalizes-3-unrecognized-bedouin-towns-fulfilling-raams-pledge/ |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=8 November 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108200320/https://www.timesofisrael.com/government-legalizes-3-unrecognized-bedouin-towns-fulfilling-raams-pledge/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |date=21 October 2021 |title=3 Bedouin villages to be recognized, receive infrastructure |url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/3-bedouin-villages-to-be-recognized-receive-infrastructure-682730 |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Jerusalem Post |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219010658/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/3-bedouin-villages-to-be-recognized-receive-infrastructure-682730 |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Shpigel |first=Noa |date=5 January 2022 |title=Fast-tracked Knesset Vote on Unrecognized Villages Passes, Enraging Opposition |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-passes-bill-on-unrecognized-arab-villages-enraging-opposition-1.10515703 |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219014513/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-passes-bill-on-unrecognized-arab-villages-enraging-opposition-1.10515703 |url-status=live }}

On 9 November 2021 Abbas met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, the first occasion where the king has met an Arab party leader who is a sitting member of the Israeli government; the two discussed the peace process and reiterated their support for a two-state solution.{{Cite news |last1=Khoury |first1=Jack |last2=Lis |first2=Jonathan |date=9 November 2021 |title=Jordan's Abdullah Talks Palestinians, Jerusalem With Israeli Lawmaker Abbas |language=en |work=Haaretz |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-jordan-s-abdullah-talks-palestinians-jerusalem-with-israeli-lawmaker-abbas-1.10368918 |access-date=2022-02-19 |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219024649/https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-jordan-s-abdullah-talks-palestinians-jerusalem-with-israeli-lawmaker-abbas-1.10368918 |url-status=live }}{{Cite web |last=Boxerman |first=Aaron |date=9 November 2021 |title=Ra'am party chief Abbas discusses 2-state solution with Jordan's king |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/raam-party-chief-abbas-discusses-2-state-solution-with-jordans-king/ |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=19 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220219024649/https://www.timesofisrael.com/raam-party-chief-abbas-discusses-2-state-solution-with-jordans-king/ |url-status=live }}

On 21 December 2021 Abbas said that Israel was born as a Jewish state and will remain so, provoking outrage from members of other Arab parties.{{cite news |last=Hoffman |first=Gil |date=22 December 2021 |title=Israel is a Jewish state and will remain so - Ra'am's Abbas |work=The Jerusalem Post|url=https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-689351 |access-date=23 December 2021 |archive-date=23 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223025149/https://www.jpost.com/breaking-news/article-689351 |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Toameh |first=Khaled Abu |date=22 December 2021 |title=Palestinians slam Mansour Abbas for 'recognizing' Israel as a Jewish state |work=The Jerusalem Post|url=https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-689490 |access-date=23 December 2021 |archive-date=23 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211223023820/https://www.jpost.com/arab-israeli-conflict/article-689490 |url-status=live }} On 10 February 2022 Abbas rejected Amnesty International's charge that Israel is an apartheid state, saying of Israel: "I would not call it apartheid."{{Cite web |last=Krauss |first=Joseph |date=10 February 2022 |title=Arab party leader in Israel rejects 'apartheid' label |url=https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/arab-party-leader-israel-rejects-apartheid-label-82807363 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210203831/https://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/arab-party-leader-israel-rejects-apartheid-label-82807363 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |access-date=2022-02-19 |website=ABC News |language=en}}{{Cite news |last=Kraus |first=Joseph |date=10 February 2022 |title=Arab party leader in Israel rejects 'apartheid' label |newspaper=The Washington Post |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/arab-party-leader-in-israel-rejects-apartheid-label/2022/02/10/bf1ddbe4-8aad-11ec-838f-0cfdf69cce3c_story.html |access-date=19 February 2022 |archive-date=10 February 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220210220911/https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/arab-party-leader-in-israel-rejects-apartheid-label/2022/02/10/bf1ddbe4-8aad-11ec-838f-0cfdf69cce3c_story.html |url-status=live }}

Abbas led his party into the 2022 Israeli legislative election, where he was reelected. Abbas was praised in a November 2022 op-ed in The New York Times by former prime minister Naftali Bennett, who described him as "brave".{{Cite web |date=27 November 2023 |title=Bennett extolls outgoing coalition in NYT op-ed, praises Ra'am's Abbas as 'a mensch' |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-extolls-outgoing-coalition-in-nyt-op-ed-praises-raams-abbas-as-a-mensch/ |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=3 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230203112128/https://www.timesofisrael.com/bennett-extolls-outgoing-coalition-in-nyt-op-ed-praises-raams-abbas-as-a-mensch/ |url-status=live }}{{Cite news |last=Bennett |first=Naftali |author-link=Naftali Bennett |date=2022-11-27 |title=A Good-Will Government Was Possible in Israel |language=en-US |work=The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/opinion/a-good-will-government-was-possible-in-israel.html |access-date=2023-11-05 |issn=0362-4331 |archive-date=21 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230321050631/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/11/27/opinion/a-good-will-government-was-possible-in-israel.html |url-status=live }} Following the 2023 Hamas attack on Israel, Abbas urged unity between Jews and Arabs in Israel.{{Cite web |last=Pacchiani |first=Gianluca |date=2023-10-07 |title=Ra'am leader Abbas urges Arab community not to respond to incitement, calls for unity |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/raam-leader-abbas-urges-arab-community-not-to-respond-to-incitement-calls-for-unity/ |access-date=2023-10-31 |website=The Times of Israel |language=en-US |archive-date=15 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015160216/https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/raam-leader-abbas-urges-arab-community-not-to-respond-to-incitement-calls-for-unity/ |url-status=live }}

He condemned the Hamas-led attack on Israel on 7 October 2023.{{cite news |title=The Arab Israeli community stands in solidarity against Hamas - opinion |url=https://www.jpost.com/opinion/article-769843 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=24 October 2023}}{{cite news |title=Arab Israeli Lawmaker Abbas Denounces Hamas Attack, Says the Massacre Does Not 'Represent Our Arab Society' |url=https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/2023-11-07/ty-article/.premium/arab-list-mk-abbas-denounces-hamas-attack-says-massacre-doesnt-represent-arab-society/0000018b-aa11-d5aa-a19f-affb1b4b0000 |work=Haaretz |date=7 November 2023}} On 1 December 2023, he said that "armed Palestinian factions need to stop using weapons and turn to a diplomatic project with the Palestinian Authority to strengthen the chances of a Palestinian state and announce an inclusive and permanent ceasefire to bring about peace and an end to" the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. In response, Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called him a "terrorist supporter", Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich accused him of supporting Israel's enemies, and Legislative Committee Chairman Simcha Rothman accused Abbas and the United Arab List of being "supporters of terrorism". On the other hand, Israel's Labor Party leader Merav Michaeli praised Abbas, saying his statements demonstrate "a committed and real Jewish-Arab partnership".{{cite news |title=Ministers decry Mansour Abbas for calling on Palestinians to lay down arms |url=https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-776265 |work=The Jerusalem Post |date=2 December 2023}}

Abbas has been stated to be conservative and socially conservative and has opposed pro-LGBT legislation.{{cite news |last=Abu Sneineh |first=Mustafa |date=24 March 2021 |title=Mansour Abbas, the Islamist leader who could be Israel's kingmaker |work=Middle East Eye |url=https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mansour-abbas-islamist-leader-israel-kingmaker |access-date=18 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171921/https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/mansour-abbas-islamist-leader-israel-kingmaker |url-status=live }}{{cite news |date= 17 January 2022 |title= Arab leader's gamble to play kingmaker in Israel is paying off |url= https://www.npr.org/2022/01/17/1073565965/arab-leaders-gamble-to-play-kingmaker-in-israel-is-paying-off |work= NPR |access-date= 18 September 2022 |archive-date= 20 September 2022 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171155/https://www.npr.org/2022/01/17/1073565965/arab-leaders-gamble-to-play-kingmaker-in-israel-is-paying-off |url-status= live }} He has also spoken out in support of conversion therapy for LGBT people.{{cite news |last=Boxerman |first=Aaron |date=25 March 2021 |title=How Islamist Ra'am broke Arab politics and may win the keys to the government |work=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-islamist-raam-broke-arab-politics-and-may-win-the-keys-to-the-government/ |access-date=18 September 2021 |archive-date=22 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220922060621/https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-islamist-raam-broke-arab-politics-and-may-win-the-keys-to-the-government/ |url-status=live }} He is frequently referred to as an Islamist.{{cite magazine |last1=Halpern |first1=Orly |last2=Qana |first2=Kafr |date=11 June 2021 |title='It's Possible to Do Things Differently.' The Arab Kingmaker Who Joined Israel's Far-Right to Oust Netanyahu |url=https://time.com/6073019/mansour-abbas-arab-israel-coalition-government/ |magazine=Time |access-date=18 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920171223/https://time.com/6073019/mansour-abbas-arab-israel-coalition-government/ |url-status=live }} He has lambasted political parties on the Israeli left, saying, "What have I to do with the left? … in religious matters, I'm right-wing" and said that he has more in common with conservative Jewish ultra-Orthodox parties than with socially liberal parties.

Abbas publicly accepts Israel as a de facto Jewish state and states that it does not practice apartheid.{{cite news |last1=Kershner |first1=Isabel |date=27 August 2022 |title=Lesson's Learned, Israel's Unlikely Kingmaker Looks Ahead |website=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/27/world/middleeast/israel-government-mansour-abbas.html |access-date=4 January 2023 |archive-date=2 December 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221202184128/https://www.nytimes.com/2022/08/27/world/middleeast/israel-government-mansour-abbas.html |url-status=live }}{{cite news |last=Goldenberg |first=Tia |date=17 January 2022 |title=How Islamist lawmaker Mansour Abbas has shaken up Israeli politics |work=The Times of Israel |url=https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-islamist-lawmaker-mansour-abbas-has-shaken-up-israeli-politics/ |access-date=18 September 2022 |archive-date=20 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220920173213/https://www.timesofisrael.com/how-islamist-lawmaker-mansour-abbas-has-shaken-up-israeli-politics/ |url-status=live }} His decision to do so during comments he made at a business conference caused an uproar among some in the Arab public.

Abbas is married with three children and lives in Maghar; his wife, Yakoot, is a high school English teacher.

Abbas serves as an imam at a mosque near Tiberias.

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