From Hadash's communism to Ra'am's Islamism: The differences between the Arab parties in Israel

A comprehensive background article examining the four main Arab parties in Israel – Ra'am, Balad, Hadash, and Ta'al – detailing the ideological, tactical, and social differences between them, focusing on the shared Palestinian narrative and their different strategies of action in the Israeli political arena.

A comprehensive background article by i24NEWS examines the four main Arab parties in Israel – Ra'am, Balad, Hadash, and Ta'al – and details the ideological, tactical, and social differences between them. The article notes that they all share a foundational narrative that denies the connection of the people of Israel to their land, but differ in their methods of action. Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, is presented as the political arm of the southern faction of the Islamic Movement, adopting a strategy of integration into the political system while maintaining religious affiliation. Balad, led by Sami Abu Shahada, is described as a Palestinian nationalist party without masks, advocating for the abolition of the Law of Return and the transformation of the state into a binational one. Hadash, led by Yosef Jabarin, is presented as a communist movement with a Jewish-Arab partnership, but it is claimed that Palestinian nationalism overrides its social values. Ta'al, led by Ahmad Tibi, is described as a pragmatic Arab nationalist party, not religious but committed to the Islamic and cultural identity of the Arab public. The article also reviews the establishment of the Joint List in 2015 and the current split, with Ra'am choosing to run separately in the 2026 elections.