Central Elections Committee Disqualifies MK Ofer Cassif from Knesset Run

The Central Elections Committee on Wednesday disqualified Member of Knesset Ofer Cassif of the Hadash party from running in the 26th Knesset elections. The decision passed with 19 votes in favor, five against, and two abstentions. The disqualification stems from a petition filed by the Likud party, which argued Cassif engaged in "denial of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state."

Committee Chairman Judge Noam Sohlberg acknowledged the gravity of disqualifying a candidate, stating it denies a segment of the public the ability to vote for their chosen representative and requires extreme caution. "The stronger the authority, the greater the caution required in its exercise," he remarked.

During the hearing, MK Cassif asserted that the disqualification petitions were fundamentally "political, racist, and fascist in their essence, aiming for the complete delegitimization of Arab society and of Jewish-Arab partnership." He further clarified his stance, stating, "There is no contradiction between the absolute and unequivocal condemnation I have voiced against the Gaza massacre and the war crimes Israel is perpetrating there and in the West Bank, and the absolute and unequivocal condemnation I have voiced against the October 7 massacre and the terrible war crimes committed by Hamas."