Israel's Election Committee Reviews Appeals to Disqualify Arab Parties and Candidates
Israel's Central Elections Committee is set to review ten appeals filed against the registration of candidates and party lists for the upcoming elections on September 23 and 24. The most prominent appeal, lodged by the Otzma Yehudit party, seeks the disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh, the leader of the Arab party BALAD, which is running in the Hadash-Ta'al bloc. Otzma Yehudit cites Abu Shehadeh's statement following the October 7th Hamas attack, where he called it a "historically significant event in a military, political, and strategic sense," as evidence of supporting armed struggle against Israel. Abu Shehadeh has stated he was unaware of the full extent of the atrocities when he made the comment. The government's legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, found grounds related to supporting armed struggle against Israel in Abu Shehadeh's case, deeming his explanation unsatisfactory, though she did not explicitly recommend disqualification.
Additional appeals target the Arab party Ra'am, led by Mansour Abbas, filed by Otzma Yehudit, Likud, and the "Bochrim ba-Haim" forum. Conversely, the Democratic party and the "Zulat" institute are demanding the disqualification of Otzma Yehudit's list, while Otzma Yehudit seeks the removal of the Democratic party list. The "Zulat" institute also wants the "Religious Zionism" list, led by Bezalel Smotrich, and the "Zeut" list, led by Moshe Feiglin, removed from the race. Likud has also requested the cancellation of the registration for the "United List" and specifically for Ofer Cassif.
Legal grounds for disqualification under Israeli law include denying Israel's right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state, incitement to racism, or supporting armed struggle against Israel. The committee's proceedings will begin with Likud's appeal against Ofer Cassif, followed by Otzma Yehudit's appeals against BALAD and then Ra'am. The legal advisor concluded that for Ra'am, the United List, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, the Democrats, and Ofer Cassif, the necessary grounds for disqualification are absent and the requests do not meet legal criteria.
Some appeals are expected to be used as political tools during the election campaign. The coalition aims to disqualify Ra'am, potentially creating a dilemma for opposition parties. The hearing for Abu Shehadeh is also anticipated to be a media event, with Otzma Yehudit's representatives, including Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Tali Gottlieb, expected to present their case. Decisions made by the Central Elections Committee, headed by Judge Noam Solberg, can be appealed to the Supreme Court (Bagatz).
