Israeli Election Committee Bans Joint List, Arab Party Ra'am

The Central Elections Committee has disqualified the Arab-majority Joint List and the Islamist party Ra'am from running in the upcoming Knesset elections. The committee also voted to disqualify Sami Abu Shehadeh, the leader of the Balad party, and MK Ofer Cassif of Hadash. The decisions, made on Wednesday, are expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court, which will have the final say.

The committee's legal advisor, Gali Baharav-Miara, controversially supported the disqualification of Abu Shehadeh, stating there was a basis for it. Committee chair Noam Sohlberg, a Supreme Court justice, unusually voted in favor of disqualifying Abu Shehadeh, breaking with precedent to maintain neutrality. He cited a lack of satisfactory answers from Abu Shehadeh regarding his past statements.

Arguments for disqualification centered on Section 7a of the Basic Law: The Knesset, which prohibits candidates and parties that deny Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state or support armed struggle against it. Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, which initiated the bid against Abu Shehadeh, argued that supporting a terrorist organization's armed struggle against Israel is grounds for disqualification, especially during wartime.

MK Ofer Cassif, who was also disqualified, called the petitions "fascist" and an attempt to delegitimize Arab representation and Jewish-Arab partnership. He defended his criticism of government policy and the actions in Gaza, stating that opposing war crimes committed in the state's name does not harm its interests. Cassif has faced disqualification attempts before, with the Supreme Court overturning a previous ban.

Ra'am's disqualification was based on alleged ties to terror organizations, though its representative argued no conclusive evidence was presented. The Joint List's disqualification was primarily based on the platform of its constituent Balad party. The committee's decisions are subject to Supreme Court review, which has a history of overturning such bans.