Israeli Election Sees Party Disqualification Bids Target Far-Right and Arab Lists

As the deadline approached, the Central Elections Committee received 11 dramatic requests to disqualify political parties and candidates ahead of the upcoming elections. The primary targets of these disqualification bids are the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and the Arab United List (Ra'am), headed by Mansour Abbas. The political system is bracing for a significant legal battle that is expected to reach the Supreme Court.

Ra'am faces petitions from the Likud party, Otzma Yehudit, and the "Choosing Life" forum, citing alleged support for armed struggle and opposition to Israel's identity as a Jewish and democratic state. Conversely, Otzma Yehudit is targeted by the Democrats party, led by Yair Golan, and the "Zulat" organization, which argue that the party continues the ideology of the banned Kach movement and infringes upon minority rights. The Democrats' petition specifically accuses Otzma Yehudit representatives of using their power to undermine the rule of law, disregard court rulings, harm national security, and incite violent racism, referencing support for the perpetrator of the Dawabsheh family murders.

In response to the petition against them, Otzma Yehudit filed a reciprocal request to disqualify the Democrats. Minister Ben-Gvir called the disqualification attempts "antisemitic." The head of the Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, dismissed several individual disqualification requests, including those against Ben-Gvir, Amihai Eliyahu, Tali Gottlieb, and Yair Golan, due to insufficient committee member signatures.

The Elections Committee plenum, where the coalition holds a majority, is expected to approve disqualifications against opposition and Arab parties while rejecting those against right-wing parties. However, it is widely anticipated that the Supreme Court will ultimately overturn these decisions, as has happened in past elections, allowing all lists to compete. This follows precedents set in 2019 concerning disqualifications of Michael Ben-Ari, Ofer Cassif, and Ra'am-Balad.

Amidst political tensions, a dispute also erupted between the Likud and Otzma Yehudit. Otzma Yehudit denied reports of reconciliation with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who stated his intention to form the next government with existing national camp parties. Otzma Yehudit criticized this stance, accusing Netanyahu's office of hypocrisy by sending conflicting messages about Ben-Gvir's potential role in the next government and disrespecting right-wing voters.