Israel’s Ra’am Party (United Arab List) has close ties to a Turkey-based association linked to the Hamas terrorist group, according to an investigation by Hakol Hayehudi and Channel 14 published on Monday.
The Igatha 48 Association (“Aid 48"), the fundraising wing of the Southern Branch of the Islamic Movement, of which the Ra’am Party is the political wing, transferred large sums of money to and carried out activities with an organization called Khir Ummah, according to the report.
In 2021 alone, Igatha 48 transferred close to 400,000 shekels ($110,000) to the Turkish group, and the two organizations also hosted pro-terror summer programs for children on Turkish soil.
Earlier this month, Israeli authorities confirmed Khir Ummah’s ties to terror when they filed an indictment against Rami Habiballah, an Arab from the northern town of Ein Mahel, for sending money to the group.
“Ra’am officials claim they didn’t know, but not only did they know, they also cooperated with the inciting organization,” Channel 14 said, with Hakol Hayehudi noting that party leader Mansour Abbas shared joint content of Igatha 48 and Khir Ummah to his personal Facebook page.
Abbas did not immediately respond to a JNS request for comment.
The Ra’am Party played a central role in the Bennett-Lapid government, which served in 2021 and 2022, marking the first time an Arab party had joined an Israeli governing coalition.
Following Hamas’s Oct. 7 massacre, it is “even more clear” that no Israeli government should rely on support from Arab parties, Environmental Protection Minister Idit Silman told Arutz 7 on Monday night.
“Over the last few days, we have heard about Aid 48, Ra’am’s subsidiary, and its connection to Hamas’s finances...There is no place for this in a Jewish, Zionist country,” said Silman.
In November, the Israeli parliament voted to temporarily suspend Ra’am Party MK Iman Khatib-Yasin—barring her from Knesset activities and freezing her salary for two weeks—after she denied the Oct. 7 atrocities.
