Liberman Backs Disqualifying Arab Party Ahead of Elections

Avigdor Liberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, announced Wednesday that his party will support the disqualification of the Ra'am party, led by Mansour Abbas, from the upcoming elections. This decision comes just a day after Liberman met with Gadi Eisenkot, head of the "Yashar!" party, to coordinate opposition efforts. The Yisrael Beiteinu party stated that any Zionist government must prioritize eliminating Hamas, and parties opposing this goal have no place in the Knesset. This move is seen as a significant blow to any potential future reliance on Arab parties for coalition building, even for external support.

Liberman's decision to include Ra'am in the list of parties to be disqualified, especially after MK Yoav Segalovitz joined Ra'am's list, creates discomfort for center-left parties. These parties had hoped to maintain political flexibility to form a government after the elections. The report also mentions a meeting between Liberman and Naftali Bennett the previous evening to discuss election strategies.

The disqualification effort is occurring in the context of a planned meeting by opposition leader Yair Lapid with leaders of the "Change Bloc" at his home. Attendees are expected to include Bennett, Eisenkot, Liberman, and Yair Golan, focusing on coordinating bloc strategies for the elections. Separately, regarding Sami Abu Shehadeh, who joined Ra'am's list, the Attorney General and State Prosecutor have presented a differing stance to the Central Elections Committee. Evidence suggests Abu Shehadeh allegedly expressed support for armed struggle by a terror organization against Israel, primarily based on an article he published on October 8, 2023.