Israel's Election Committee Disqualifies Ra'am Party Ahead of Knesset Vote

Israel's Central Elections Committee has voted to disqualify the Ra'am party, led by Mansour Abbas, from participating in the upcoming Knesset elections scheduled for October 27. The decision, made by a vote of 18 to 5, came after petitions were filed by the Likud party, Otzma Yehudit, and the "Choose Life" organization, which represents victims of terrorism. These petitions argued that Ra'am's platform violates Basic Law: Knesset provisions that prohibit parties denying Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state or inciting racism.

The Central Elections Committee's decision will automatically be forwarded to the Supreme Court for review. The legal advisor to the government, Gali Baharav-Miara, through a representative, opposed the disqualification, stating that the evidence presented in the petitions was insufficient. The representative argued that Mansour Abbas's statements indicated his recognition of Israel's Jewish character and that accusations of incitement to racism lacked adequate proof.

Ra'am, a party with Islamist roots, was part of the ruling coalition government between 2021 and 2022. The party also includes Yoav Seglovitz, a former Knesset member of Jewish descent.