Israeli Court Asked to Disqualify Far-Right Party From Knesset

The political party "The Democrats" has appealed to Israel's Supreme Court to disqualify the far-right "Otzma Yehudit" party from running in the upcoming Knesset elections. This move comes after the Central Elections Committee overwhelmingly rejected a similar request.

The Democrats' petition argues that Otzma Yehudit, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Tali Gottlieb, should be immediately barred from the elections. The party's legal counsel, Omri Segev, contends that Ben-Gvir has overstepped his authority by politically interfering with police work and investigations. Additionally, the petition claims Gottlieb was involved in a breach of the Beit Lid military base.

Former IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Yair Golan, a prominent figure in "The Democrats," stated that Ben-Gvir is a "racist Kahanist criminal convicted of incitement to racism and supporting a terror organization." Golan emphasized that allowing government offices and the Knesset to become a refuge for criminals and a tool to undermine the rule of law is unacceptable and must be stopped by the court.

The Central Elections Committee had previously dismissed a similar disqualification request against Otzma Yehudit with a significant majority.