Mansour Abbas's Palestinian Statehood Pitch Draws Rebukes from Eisenkot and Netanyahu
Ra’am chairman Mansour Abbas has placed Palestinian statehood at the forefront of his election campaign, declaring that 'the State of Palestine exists' and advocating for an 'end to the occupation.' Speaking at Ra’am’s general conference, Abbas highlighted the role of Arab citizens of Israel as a potential 'bridge to peace' and noted that most of the world, excluding the United States and Israel, recognizes a Palestinian state. This move has elicited strong condemnations from opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Eisenkot categorically rejected the establishment of a Palestinian state under any government he would form, while Netanyahu asserted that as long as he is prime minister, there will be no Palestinian state controlled by Iran, neither in Gaza nor in Judea and Samaria. 
