Communist Party and Democratic Front Vow to Fight Disqualification Rulings in Supreme Court

The Communist Party and the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality have declared their intention to challenge the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify the Joint List party and its candidates, Sami Abu Shehadeh and MK Dr. Ofer Cassif, at the Supreme Court and through broader political and public action. In a statement released Sunday evening, the parties characterized the disqualifications as "political, racist, and fascist decisions" driven by the ruling right-wing government, aimed at delegitimizing Arab citizens' votes and political participation.

They asserted that their legitimacy stems from the public and the justice of their cause, not from figures like Ben Gvir or Kahane's heirs, nor from a right-wing dominated committee. They stated they would not accept the right to run for office being conditional on submitting to the right-wing's dictates, which they believe aim to discourage Arab voter turnout to benefit the current government.

The statement specifically praised MK Cassif's "brave stances" against war and occupation and his defense of Palestinian rights and Arab-Jewish partnership, rejecting the use of these positions as a pretext for disqualification while war criminals and their supporters lead calls for his removal. They highlighted the "fascist and racist nature" of the disqualification decisions, which they claim reward proponents of war crimes while prosecuting those who oppose them.

The disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh was deemed particularly significant and dangerous due to what they described as an organized incitement campaign and a consensus among both coalition and opposition parties, along with the head of the Elections Committee and the government's legal advisor, to exclude him. They expressed confidence in Abu Shehadeh's ethical and humanitarian stance against violence and for peace, framing his disqualification as a fight for the Joint List's legitimacy, the rights of the entire Arab public, and the remaining democratic space in Israel.

The parties vowed not to allow threats of exclusion to silence them and pledged to transform the disqualification challenge into a broad political and public campaign against fascism and censorship. They called for widespread protests against the political persecution and urged support for the Joint List and its candidates, aiming for maximum participation and votes on October 27th. They stated their response to the disqualification would be organized political action, aiming to defeat the exclusion project, protect their right to representation, and work towards toppling the "fascist right-wing government" and achieving a future of freedom, equality, and peace.