Otzma Yehudit Seeks to Ban Yair Golan's Democrats Party from Elections

The Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, has filed a petition with the Central Elections Committee to prevent the "Democrats" party, headed by Yair Golan, from participating in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The request cites Article 7A of the Basic Law: The Knesset, which allows for the disqualification of parties for incitement to racism or denial of Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state.

Otzma Yehudit's petition outlines two main grounds for exclusion, alleging racism and denial of Israel's identity. The party points to several statements attributed to Golan, including reportedly calling residents of the settlement of Homesh "sub-humans" and describing the Orthodox Jewish population as "parasitic." The petition also references Golan's stances on labor, taxation, core curriculum education, and the secularization of Israeli society, which Otzma Yehudit claims constitute incitement against various segments of the Israeli population.

Furthermore, Otzma Yehudit accuses the Democrats of aiming to undermine freedom of expression and the press, specifically targeting Israeli Channel 14. The petition states that Golan has expressed an intention to work towards closing the channel, and another party candidate, Tomer Avital, allegedly proposed a plan to "crush Channel 14 in the next legislature."

The request also addresses protests from 2024 against the judicial overhaul, accusing Golan of calling for "civil disobedience" and encouraging reservists to refuse duty until the government is replaced. Other candidates on the Democrats' list are also alleged to have made statements supporting refusal to obey orders or report for reserve duty. Otzma Yehudit argues that these combined statements and initiatives form a sufficient "critical mass" to justify the party's exclusion from the ballot.

The Democrats had not yet responded to these accusations at the time the petition was transmitted.