Yisrael Beiteinu Vows to Back Disqualification of Arab Parties from Knesset

The Yisrael Beiteinu party announced Wednesday it will vote to disqualify the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List from the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The party stated that any Zionist government formed after the elections must prioritize eliminating Hamas, and therefore, any party opposing this goal has no place in the Knesset.

This move follows a similar announcement by the "Yash" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, which declared its support for disqualifying Sami Abu Shehadeh, a candidate from the Balad party within the Joint List. Yisrael Beiteinu cited Abu Shehadeh's statements made after the October 7th Hamas attacks as crossing the legal threshold prohibiting support for terrorist organizations' armed struggle against Israel, as defined by Basic Law: The Knesset.

"Yash" emphasized that while they are a new party and not directly involved in the voting body, Abu Shehadeh's characterization of the Hamas attack as a "historically important event militarily, politically, and strategically" on October 8, 2023, along with his subsequent remarks suggesting others could replicate the attack, violated the law. The party stressed that while Arab citizens of Israel have a right to political representation, supporting terrorism cannot be legitimized.

Concurrently, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara indicated that evidence, particularly an article published by Abu Shehadeh on October 8, 2023, suggests he expressed support for a terrorist organization's armed struggle against Israel. Her office and the State Attorney's office stated that Abu Shehadeh's written response to the disqualification request did not sufficiently clarify that his article did not reflect support for armed struggle against Israel, especially given the timing. They noted his response was "laconic" and his silence on the massacre was not neutral. They advised the Central Elections Committee to carefully consider the disqualification request based on legal standards and Abu Shehadeh's arguments.

In response, Joint List Chairman Yousef Jabareen criticized Eisenkot's stance, calling it a "fascist move" and an attempt to disqualify a candidate. He asserted that all candidates on the Joint List are committed to justice, equality, freedom, and peace, and that the party is unique in prioritizing these values. Jabareen argued that when the opposition leader joins efforts to disqualify a candidate, he legitimizes racist and anti-democratic policies.