Israeli Parties Seek Election Bans on Rivals Ahead of Vote

The Likud party has filed a petition with the Central Elections Committee (CEC) to disqualify the Arab party Ra'am and its leader, Mansour Abbas. Likud cites Ra'am's alleged support for armed struggle against Israel and its leader's questioning of Israel's Jewish and democratic character. A significant portion of the petition focuses on the "Siyua 48" organization, alleging its ties to Ra'am and its transfer of funds to designated terrorist groups, citing a July 2025 Ministry of Justice report. Likud points to statements by Abbas, including one from August 26 where he described the Jewish character of the state as "imposed" and "not our choice," suggesting Ra'am's recent "pragmatic position" is a "mask" for denying Israel's Jewish identity. Further grounds include Abbas's alleged evasion in a September 5 interview of labeling Hamas a terrorist organization.

Ra'am has previously denied similar accusations, calling such petitions attempts to create "fictitious conspiracy theories" and stating there is no evidence of supporting terrorist organizations or hostile states, which are grounds for disqualification under Israeli law. The party also denies denying Israel's Jewish and democratic character.

Concurrently, the Democratic Camp (a bloc of the Labor and Meretz parties) has petitioned the CEC to disqualify the Otzma Yehudit party. The Democrats argue Otzma Yehudit's list violates two criteria for disqualification: denying the state's democratic character and "incitement to racism." Their petition broadly claims Otzma uses its influence to undermine the rule of law and state institutions, including defying court rulings and challenging the Supreme Court's authority. The Democrats' petition also cites actions and statements by seven Otzma Yehudit candidates, including support for an individual convicted of racially motivated murder, publishing information on Arab citizens with calls to harm their livelihoods, and expressing solidarity with the banned Kach movement.

However, the Democrats' petition reportedly lacks specific quotes demonstrating "incitement to racism" in a legally defined sense. Israeli law requires a two-stage verification for disqualification: first by the CEC, then by the Supreme Court. Historically, only three disqualifications have been approved by the Supreme Court, all against right-wing movements. While the CEC has disqualified Arab parties in the past, the Supreme Court has not upheld such decisions on final review.