Abbas says nothing will come of the campaign against Arab citizens because there is nothing there
Mansour AbbasLeader of the United Arab List (Ra'am), in a statement
In a statement reported by RTÉ News, Abbas says Ra'am was not involved in the reported conduct, urges a full investigation and says nothing will come of Netanyahu's campaign against Arab citizens because there is nothing there.
“We have one message in response to the campaign of incitement and delegitimisation he is waging against Arab citizens: Nothing will come of it because there is nothing there”
Reporting
Where this statement fits
Netanyahu's allies accuse Arab parties over alleged Qatari election funding, and Ben-Gvir seeks arrests; Arab parties and Qatar deny it
After Israel's October 27, 2026 election, Central Elections Committee chair Noam Sohlberg asked the Shin Bet to investigate suspicions that foreign entities funded efforts to influence the vote, which members of Netanyahu's bloc tied to Qatar and the Arab party Ra'am. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir called for the arrest of Arab party leaders suspected of involvement, and Likud said the election had been stolen. Ra'am's Mansour Abbas, the Joint List's Ahmad Tibi and Qatar's foreign ministry rejected the accusations.
Source and context
Reporting
About this source
RTÉ News reports on the Netanyahu bloc's accusations of foreign funding against Arab parties after the October 27 election, quoting Ben-Gvir, Gadi Eisenkot, Ahmad Tibi, Mansour Abbas and Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson Majed Al Ansari. The story was first published on the morning of October 29 and updated that evening.
Archived copy (opens in a new tab)Before the quotation
RTÉ News reports that Abbas said his party was not involved in the reported suspicious conduct, urged a full investigation and said Netanyahu was waging an incitement campaign against Israel's Arab citizens.
After the quotation
In the same story, RTÉ News reports the Qatari foreign ministry spokesperson's rejection of accusations that Qatar interfered in the election.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
The case concerns the allegation, raised by members of Netanyahu's bloc and referred to the Shin Bet, that Arab parties were involved in Qatari or other foreign funding meant to influence the October 27 election. Abbas says his party was not involved and that there is nothing behind the accusations, which denies the alleged conduct.
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More from this case
Read the full caseQatar's foreign ministry denies interfering in Israel's election or funding efforts to influence it
Qatar Ministry of Foreign Affairs
“We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome”Read statement
Tibi says the campaign aims to scare Eisenkot off relying on the Arab parties
“This entire campaign is directed against Eisenkot, to prevent him, intimidate and scare him off forming a government that relies on external support from the Joint List or Ra'am”Read statement
Eisenkot says Likud and Netanyahu are running a campaign to delegitimise the election results
“It's already clear that Likud and Netanyahu have embarked on a coordinated, organised campaign seeking to delegitimise the results of the election.”Read statement
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- Abbas says nothing will come of the campaign against Arab citizens because there is nothing there
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The Dispute Index. "Abbas says nothing will come of the campaign against Arab citizens because there is nothing there". First published: 2026-10-30. Last updated: 2026-10-30. https://disputeindex.com/events/7227-in-a-statement-reported-by-rt%C3%A9-news-abbas