Election Committee Disqualifies MK Ofer Cassif Ahead of Vote

The Central Elections Committee of the Knesset has decided to disqualify Knesset Member Ofer Cassif from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The decision, made on Wednesday, passed with a significant majority of 19 votes in favor, 5 against, and 2 abstentions. The disqualification request was filed by the Likud party, citing Cassif's alleged negation of Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, based on Section 7A(a)(1) of the Knesset Basic Law.

This ruling follows a wave of disqualification requests submitted to the committee in recent weeks against various parties and candidates. In Cassif's case, unlike some others where the Attorney General and State Prosecutor determined there was no legal basis for disqualification, no definitive stance was presented regarding his candidacy. Nevertheless, the committee's plenum approved the disqualification.

The committee's decision will now be forwarded to the Supreme Court for final approval. The full reasoning behind the committee's decision is expected to be published soon. The elections for the 26th Knesset are scheduled to take place in approximately one month, with recent polls indicating a close race between the Likud party and Gadi Eisenkot's 'Yisrael' party.