United Arab List
The United Arab List (Hebrew רשימה ערבית מאוחדת, Reshima Aravit Meuhedet, abbreviated as Ra'am, in part. also transcribed as Raam; Arabic ألقائمة العربية الموحدة al-Qā'ima al-ʿArabiyya al-Muwahhada, DMG al-qāʾima al-ʿarabīya al-muwaḥḥada) party in Israel that represents the interests of Arab Israelis. It rejects Zionism, which defines Israel as a Jewish state. Its voters are almost exclusively Muslim, and some of its members hold Islamist positions. It was founded in 1996 as a merger of the left-wing Arab Democratic Party, founded in 1988, and the Islamic Movement of Israel.
Ra'am advocates a Palestinian state with East Jerusalem as its capital, the evacuation of Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, and equality between Jewish and Arab Israelis.
For the 2006 Knesset election, Ra'am joined forces with the Ta'al party. The alliance won 4 seats in the Knesset and persisted in the next election in 2009.
On January 12, 2009, the Central Election Committee decided to exclude the alliance of the United Arab List and Ta'al from the parliamentary elections on February 10. The Arab Balad Party was also affected by the exclusion. "The two parties would incite violence, support terrorism and not recognize the State of Israel, was the reason given by the committee, on which all parliamentary factions are represented." However, Israel's Supreme Court overturned this exclusion, allowing the United Arab List to run in the 2009 Knesset elections after all.
In the 2015 Knesset elections, it joined forces with Balad, Chadash and Ta'al to form the United List. Together, the electoral alliance won thirteen seats in parliament.
In the run-up to the 2019 Knesset elections, the United List alliance broke up. The United Arab List (Ra'am) then formed a joint electoral list only with Balad. On March 7, 2019, the Central Election Committee voted to disqualify Ra'am and Balad for the upcoming election. However, Israel's Supreme Court later revoked this decision.
Knesset election results
In the elections to the Israeli parliament, the Knesset, the United Arab List achieved in each case:
- 1996: 4 seats
- 1999: 5 seats
- 2003: 2 seats
- 2006: 4 seats
- 2009: 4 seats
- 2013: 4 seats
- 2015: 3 seats
- 2021: 4 seats
