Liberman Backs Disqualifying Arab Parties Ahead of Election

Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, announced on Wednesday his support for disqualifying the Ra'am party, led by Mansour Abbas, from running in the upcoming elections. This decision comes just a day after Liberman met with Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the 'Yash!' party, to coordinate opposition strategies.

In an official statement, Yisrael Beiteinu declared, "Any Zionist government that is established after the elections must define the elimination of Hamas as a central goal of its security policy. Any party that opposes this has no place in the Knesset in Israel. Therefore, we will vote in favor of disqualifying the joint list, Ra'am, Ofer Cassif, and Sami Abu Shehadeh." The party's stance is that any party opposing the elimination of Hamas should not be allowed in the Knesset.

Liberman's move is seen as a significant blow to any potential future reliance on Arab parties, even for external support, in forming a coalition government. This decision creates discomfort among center-left parties that had hoped for political flexibility to form a government post-election, especially after Ra'am joined forces with MK Yoav Segalovitz.

The broader context includes an upcoming meeting organized by opposition leader Yair Lapid at his Tel Aviv home, where leaders of the "change bloc" including Naftali Bennett, Gadi Eisenkot, Avigdor Liberman, and Yair Golan are expected to discuss coordination for the elections.

Regarding Sami Abu Shehadeh, who joined the Ra'am list, the Attorney General and State Prosecutor have presented a differing opinion to the Central Elections Committee. Evidence suggests he allegedly expressed support for an armed struggle by a terror organization against Israel, primarily based on an article he published on October 8, 2023.