Former Israeli ‘Supercop’ Joins Arab Party Ticket, Challenging Post-October 7 Norms

In a move described by experts as a political revolution, Yoav Segalovitz, a former deputy national security minister and veteran law enforcement official known as Israel’s “supercop,” has secured the number two position on the United Arab List (Raam) ticket for the upcoming October 27 general elections.

Segalovitz, who served in the centrist government coalition from 2021 to 2022, announced his candidacy last month, sending shockwaves through a political landscape that has grown increasingly hostile to cross-community alliances since the Hamas attacks of October 7, 2023.

Addressing the apparent paradox of a Jewish, secular, Zionist ex-police commissioner running alongside Mansour Abbas, an Arab Muslim Islamist politician, Segalovitz emphasized shared national identity over ideological differences.

“I am Jewish, a Zionist, secular, an officer in the IDF, and a police commissioner in Israel. Mansour is Arab, a practicing Muslim, and a conservative,” Segalovitz told reporters. “What unites us is that we are both Israelis, and that is our shared identity… But there is a shared future.”

The partnership stands in stark contrast to the current political climate. Denis Charbit, a political science professor at the Open University of Israel, noted that the October 7 massacres effectively eliminated the possibility of cooperation with Arab parties, a stance now embraced by centrist rivals Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, who have explicitly excluded Arab parties from their own potential governing coalitions.

For Raam leader Mansour Abbas, the selection of Segalovitz is a pragmatic response to a crisis within Arab-Palestinian communities. Organized crime has become a lethal issue, with murder statistics reaching catastrophic levels. From January through August 2026, 166 people were killed in these crimes, continuing a deadly trend that saw over 200 deaths in the previous year.

“Mansour Abbas, who takes a pragmatic approach to politics, states that the number one problem facing Arab-Palestinian society is organised crime,” Charbit explained. “Segalovitz, who had built his career in the Israeli police force, was specifically tasked with combating this crime and he achieved encouraging results.”

Segalovitz, whose anti-crime program was dismantled by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, argued that public safety is a universal concern. “The state of personal security in Arab society is catastrophic. Our statistics are on a par with the worst countries in South America,” he said. “You can’t sustain an economy, a society, a culture, education or development when people are afraid to walk down the street.”

Ben Gvir swiftly condemned the alliance, calling it a “joint plot by the left” designed to pave the way for a government influenced by the Muslim Brotherhood. The far-right minister shared a doctored image on social media depicting Abbas and Segalovitz shaking hands over a table adorned with keffiyehs and Hamas flags.

Despite the backlash, analysts suggest the partnership could be decisive. With polls showing the opposition bloc and the Netanyahu coalition tied at 53 seats each in the 120-member Knesset, the 14 seats held by Arab parties are crucial. Charbit pointed out that while Raam is expected to win four to six seats, the inclusion of a high-profile Jewish figure like Segalovitz positions the party to potentially supply a national security minister if they enter negotiations.

“Segalovitz’s candidacy seeks to overcome mistrust,” Charbit observed. “To assert that internal security is a matter of the public interest — one that is neither Jewish nor Arab — is disruptive. This is something unprecedented since 1948.”

As Israel prepares for its first national vote since the onset of the Gaza war and the implementation of controversial judicial reforms, Segalovitz urged Israeli Arabs to claim their place in the political mainstream. “No one loses their identity by having influence,” he said. “Influence can only come from sitting at the table where decisions are made.”