Muslim party may resume membership in Israeli coalition
Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas' coordination with Prime Minister Naftali Bennett about his visit last week to Jordan and his meeting with King Abdullah might signal that he is willing to end his party’s suspension of activity in the coalition.
Ra’am party chairman Mansour Abbas was in Jordan April 28 for a meeting in the palace with King Abdullah II. Abbas had been invited to attend a Ramadan Iftar diner, but once the meal was over, he and the king discussed the implications of clashes between worshippers and Israeli security forces in the al-Aqsa mosque compound. Abbas was the first Israeli political figure to meet with the king since the beginning of the current tensions on Temple Mount.
In Israel, every meeting with the Jordanian king scores positive political points, especially with Israeli Arabs. That makes it clear why Prime Minister Naftali Bennett approved the trip. Bennett’s future, and the future of the coalition, depends on Abbas. Thus, a meeting in the palace, which benefits the Ra’am leader, has internal political implications in Israel.
