Court Denies Bereaved Families Access to Hearing on Ra'am Party Disqualification

The head of the Central Elections Committee, Justice Noam Sohlberg, on Friday rejected a request by representatives of bereaved families from the "Choosing Life" forum to attend a hearing on their petition to disqualify the Ra'am party from running in the upcoming Knesset elections. The "Choosing Life" forum, which represents families of terror victims, is the official petitioner in the case.

Representatives of the forum had asked to be allowed into the hearing alongside their attorney, Yitzhak Bam, arguing they were the driving force behind the petition and had a deep personal stake in its outcome. They stated that observing the proceedings in person would allow them to follow its development. Justice Sohlberg denied this request.

In his decision, Sohlberg cited the large number of participants expected at such hearings, including committee members, party representatives, legal counsel, committee staff, media, and security personnel. He acknowledged the families' personal connection to the proceedings, stemming from "terrible loss," but stated their proximity to the matter was "not relatively high," noting that the petition did not seek to disqualify individuals involved in specific attacks that killed their relatives.

Sohlberg also expressed concern about potential disruptions, referencing past experiences where similar discussions have evoked "strong emotions from all sides." He concluded that the presence of family representatives would not eliminate the risk of "interjections, momentary outbursts of passion, and the like" during the hearing. Despite the denial, he offered the petitioners the option to watch a live broadcast of the proceedings.

The "Choosing Life" forum sharply criticized the decision, calling it "outrageous and offensive." They emphasized that they initiated the disqualification request and submitted over 1,000 pages of evidence against Ra'am. The forum pointed out that the Knesset auditorium has 330 seats, and argued that while space would be found for media, "a few chairs were not found for the bereaved parents." They also refuted Sohlberg's claim of a lack of direct connection, stating that forum members lost loved ones in Hamas attacks and the petition concerns funding transfers to Hamas-affiliated entities, asserting this constitutes a "direct and painful connection."