Israel's Election Committee Rejects Bids to Disqualify Far-Right Parties

Israel's Central Elections Committee convened for a second day to discuss disqualification requests against political parties and candidates running in the upcoming elections. The committee was expected to vote on petitions seeking to ban the far-right "Otzma Yehudit" party, as well as "Religious Zionism-Identity" and "The Democrats." However, these disqualification bids were not anticipated to pass.

During the heated proceedings, the committee's acting director, Dean Livna, repeatedly told "Otzma Yehudit" representatives, including party leader Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Tali Gottlieb, to stop interrupting. He eventually ordered a representative of "Otzma Yehudit" to leave.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara advised against disqualifying "Otzma Yehudit," though she noted that the evidence presented against the party was "very disturbing" and brought it "very close to the forbidden area" according to Basic Law provisions. Nevertheless, she concluded that the evidence did not meet the high threshold required by the Supreme Court to prevent a list from competing in elections, recommending the petitions be rejected. Baharav-Miara also stated that Ben-Gvir's conduct as National Security Minister, particularly his "severe damage to the principle of police independence and its state and apolitical character," is being examined in separate legal proceedings concerning his tenure.

The petitions to disqualify "Otzma Yehudit" were filed by the "Democrats" party and the Zulat Institute. The Zulat Institute also filed a petition against "Religious Zionism-Identity," while "Otzma Yehudit" filed a petition against "The Democrats." The Likud, Shas, and Religious Zionism parties announced they would not participate in the vote on disqualifying "The Democrats," deeming the request baseless and wishing to avoid impacting petitions against other parties.

On the previous day, the Elections Committee disqualified the head of the Balad party, Sami Abu Shehadeh, MK Ofer Cassif, the "Joint List," and the "Ra'am" party. The committee's chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, unusually voted in favor of disqualifying Abu Shehadeh. It is widely expected that the Supreme Court will overturn most of these decisions, allowing Ra'am, the Joint List, and Cassif to run, though Abu Shehadeh's status remains uncertain. Disqualifications are based on provisions allowing the barring of candidates or lists whose goals, actions, or statements deny Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, incite racism, or support armed struggle by an enemy state or terror group. The Supreme Court has historically set a high bar for disqualifications, requiring clear and significant evidence beyond isolated statements or strong political stances.