MK Merav Ben Ari Fails to Bar Lawyer From Political Panel in Netanya
A political panel at the Tchernichovsky School in Netanya became the center of controversy when MK Merav Ben Ari attempted to prevent lawyer David Bavli, who is ranked 11th on the Otzma Yehudit party list, from participating. Shortly before the event, Bavli's party was informed he could not attend due to Ben Ari's objection. The school cited a "legal matter" between Bavli and Ben Ari as the reason, stemming from a complaint Ben Ari filed against Bavli, which led to proceedings before a commissioner.
The teacher who organized the panel, in a conversation with the Otzma Yehudit coordinator for the city, stated that the panel was scheduled long in advance and acknowledged the legal issue, admitting she was not fully informed about its details. Otzma Yehudit opposed Bavli's exclusion, deeming the attempt to bar him illegal. Ultimately, the effort to remove Bavli from the panel was unsuccessful, and he participated in the event as originally planned.