Israeli Election Committee Bans Arab Parties from Knesset Race

The Central Elections Committee voted on Wednesday to disqualify the Ra'am party from competing in the 26th Knesset elections. This decision follows earlier rulings to ban MK Ofer Cassif and Balad party chairman MK Sami Abu Shehadeh. The disqualification requests for Ra'am were submitted by the Otzma Yehudit, Likud, and "Voters in Life" parties.

The committee's decision regarding Ra'am, along with the earlier bans on Cassif and Abu Shehadeh, means the final determination on their participation in the elections will now be made by the Supreme Court. The Ra'am hearing was part of a broader day of deliberations on disqualification requests submitted ahead of the upcoming elections. In total, seven hearings were scheduled for disqualification requests: two against individual candidates and five against party lists.

Earlier on Wednesday, the committee had already voted to disqualify Abu Shehadeh, with 31 members supporting the ban and four opposing. In an unusual move, the chairman of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, participated in the vote and voted in favor of the disqualification, stating that the case was clear. The committee also accepted the Likud party's request to disqualify MK Ofer Cassif, with 19 members voting for his disqualification, five against, and two abstaining.

The Likud's request against Cassif was based on the grounds of denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state. The committee accepted the request, citing Cassif's support for the armed struggle of an enemy state or terror organization against Israel. These disqualification decisions are not final, and the Supreme Court will have the ultimate say on the eligibility of the candidates and lists.