Otzma Yehudit Seeks to Disqualify Ra'am Party Ahead of Elections

Otzma Yehudit and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir have submitted a request to the Central Elections Committee to disqualify the Ra'am party and its chairman, Mansour Abbas, from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The request asserts that new evidence justifies the disqualification, alleging that Ra'am rejects Israel's existence as a Jewish state and supports armed struggle against it.

The applicants cite a report by the Registrar of Associations concerning the "Siyua 48" association, which they claim is linked to Ra'am. They also point to alleged connections between the party, the southern faction of the Islamic Movement, and other associations. Otzma Yehudit argues that following the October 7th attacks, a lenient approach towards parties suspected of supporting terrorism is no longer acceptable.

The petition includes statements by Mansour Abbas, which the applicants contend reveal different messages for the Jewish and Arab publics. They are also demanding the release of Shin Bet and police investigation materials concerning Ra'am and its affiliated organizations.

Minister Ben-Gvir stated, "The legislator spoke years ago, but the court ignored the law and here legitimized dozens of terrorists and allowed them to serve in the Knesset. The time has come to say enough. The time has come to implement the law and disqualify the terrorist organization called Ra'am and its head, the Muslim Brotherhood man Mansour Abbas." He further described Abbas as "a wolf in sheep's clothing."