By Morton Klein and Elizabeth Berney, Esq.

(November 4, 2026 / JNS) In an op-ed (Oct. 30), Park Avenue Synagogue (NYC) Rabbi Elliot Cosgrove calls for Israeli parties to include in a governing coalition disloyal Arab parties (Ra’am and the Arab Joint List) that oppose Israel’s existence, call for violence against Israel, and side with and represent Israel’s enemies instead of Israel.

Frighteningly, the Arab Joint List celebrated its 2026 election gains by singing the Palestinian national anthem, which calls “Palestine” “my home” and clamors for violently conquering Israel with fire, guns, blood, and the volcano of revenge.

The Joint List and Ra’am’s platforms (see here and here) also confirm that these parties aspire to weaken, endanger and destroy the Jewish state. These platforms call for “acting to halt all Israeli wars” – meaning ending Israel’s self-defense against terrorists; ending the weapons blockade of Gaza; establishing a Palestinian state on suicidal-for-Israel lines; a so-called Arab “right of return” to overrun and destroy Israel; ending the Jewish “right of return”; reconstructing Gaza (without removing Hamas), and thereby creating the conditions for more October 7ths; resuming Hamas-infested UNRWA’s operations (which included participating in October 7, housing weapons and operations centers for Hamas and teaching children to hate and kill Jews); “fighting Israelization” and ending Israel’s Jewish identity; protecting or releasing all prisoners (meaning terrorists); legalizing and expanding illegal Arab construction on Israeli lands; and opposing “Judaization of the Galilee and the Negev.”  

Israel’s Basic Laws (the equivalent of a constitution) correctly recognize that Israel cannot be governed by those who oppose the Jewish state’s existence or support Israel’s enemies – as Ra’am’s and the Joint List’s platforms and statements do. The Knesset Basic Law disqualifies parties and candidates whose goals include: “negation of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; incitement to racism; or support for an armed struggle by an enemy state, or of a terrorist organization, against the State of Israel.”

Pursuant to this vital law, Israel’s Central Election Committee correctly disqualified the anti-Israel Arab parties. But then, in blatant violation of Israel’s Basic Laws, Israel’s Supreme Court allowed these anti-Israel parties to run in the October 27 election. Bringing anti-Israel parties into a governing coalition would exacerbate the dangers that Israel’s Basic Laws were designed to prevent.

The sole glimmer of light Cosgrove offers is his misleading statement that Islamist Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas “condemned the atrocities of Oct. 7 and has acknowledged Israel’s Jewish character.” However, Mansour Abbas’ calculated statements never identified or condemned the terrorist groups that perpetrated October 7, and never identified Jews as the victims. And tellingly, Abbas repeatedly, adamantly refuses to condemn Hamas or answer whether he considers Hamas to be a terrorist organization. (The United States, Israel, Canada, the European Union representing 27 nations all designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.)

Mansour Abbas is also crystal clear that he is only recognizing the current reality of Israel’s Jewish character in order to run for Knesset. Abbas does not support or accept that character. Instead, Abbas asserts that this current Jewish reality was “imposed on the Arabs.” Abbas also still believes his previous statement that “Zionist gangs captured Palestine,” but phrases this differently nowadays. Moreover, Abbas’ grudging nod to reality was rejected by his party.

And Abbas also called Israel’s re-establishment and very existence a “Nakba” (catastrophe); and praised Arabs who maintain a separate Palestinian Arab identity and not an Israeli identity.

Joint Arab List MKs also have horrendous records. For instance, Osama Saadi is defending “pay to slay.” Ahmad Tibi called Jews “invaders and murderers”; and tried to pass a law requiring Israeli textbooks to honor as “fighters” the Arab gangs who murdered Jews in pre-state Israel.

Moreover, contrary to Cosgrove’s suggestion, bringing these hostile parties into a governing coalition would not improve Israel’s “international standing.”  The two previous instances that Cosgrove mentions when anti-Israel Arab parties joined or supported from the outside an Israeli governing coalition both failed to improve Israel’s “international standing.” Israel’s enemies and antisemites continued and will again continue to do everything possible to harm the Jewish state. Bringing disloyal, viciously anti-Israel Arab parties into a governing coalition will only increase Israel’s enemies’ power to harm the Jewish state.

If Cosgrove truly desires a “big tent” governing coalition, there are better alternatives than joining with Israel’s anti-Israel Arab parties. If all or even part of the Eisenkot coalition joins with the Netanyahu coalition, Israel will have a big, pro-Israel tent.

Morton A. Klein is the national president of the Zionist Organization of America. Elizabeth Berney, Esq. is ZOA’s Director of Research & Special Projects.

This op-ed was originally published by JNS and can be viewed here.