Election Committee Disqualifies Ra'am Party, Case Moves to Supreme Court

The Central Elections Committee for the Knesset has decided to disqualify the Ra'am party from running in the 26th Knesset elections. The decision, made by an 18-5 vote on Wednesday, followed a petition filed by the "Choosing Life for Families of the Fallen and Victims of Terror" forum. The forum, represented by attorney Yitzhak Bam, based its petition on a research document of over 1,000 pages alleging ties between Ra'am and organizations connected to terrorism.

Ra'am's representatives argued that the evidence presented did not meet the required threshold for disqualifying a party from elections. The "Choosing Life" forum, however, welcomed the committee's decision and criticized the Attorney General's stance, which they claim sought to prevent the disqualification. "Today the Elections Committee accepted our petition and determined the obvious: those who support terror or are connected to terror elements cannot sit in the Knesset," the forum stated, adding that the Attorney General continued to oppose Ra'am's disqualification even after the research was presented.

The final decision on Ra'am's eligibility to compete now rests with the High Court of Justice (Bagatz). The Supreme Court has previously intervened in disqualification decisions by the Elections Committee, overturning them when it found the presented evidence insufficient. The "Choosing Life" forum is preparing for the legal battle and is urging the High Court to uphold the Elections Committee's decision and prevent Ra'am from participating in the upcoming elections.