Israeli election committee votes to bar two Arab-majority lists
The Central Elections Committee’s decisions face Supreme Court review next week, with the court holding final authority over who can stand in the 27 October vote.
Israel’s Central Elections Committee has voted to disqualify the Joint List and Ra’am, as well as candidates Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh, from the 27 October parliamentary election. The Supreme Court is expected to review the decisions next week and has the final say.
The Joint List brings together Hadash, Balad and Ta’al; Ra’am is running separately. Both draw support from Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about one-fifth of the population. If the court upholds the list bans, neither group could contest the election.
According to Adalah, which represents the lists and candidates, the committee voted 18–5 against each list and Cassif, and 31–4 against Abu Shehadeh. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara opposed disqualifying the lists and Cassif, saying the evidence did not meet the legal threshold. She took a different position on Abu Shehadeh.
The petitions accused the parties and candidates of denying Israel’s character as a Jewish and democratic state, supporting armed struggle or inciting racism. Abu Shehadeh rejects the interpretation that his writing supported armed struggle; Adalah says the article contained no call for violence.
The committee rejected petitions to disqualify the far-right Otzma Yehudit and Religious Zionism parties. That contrast has prompted accusations of double standards. The pending court review will determine whether any of the committee’s decisions stand.
