Adalah Legal Center Appeals Election Committee Disqualifications to Supreme Court

The Adalah Legal Center filed two appeals with the Supreme Court on Tuesday against the Central Elections Committee's decisions to disqualify the Unified Arab List and the Joint List from the upcoming elections. The center also submitted responses to the disqualification of MK Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh, head of the National Democratic Assembly party. The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear the appeals on October 1, 2026.

In its appeal against the disqualification of the Joint List, Adalah argued that the Elections Committee's decision lacked legal basis and was made without substantive discussion, ignoring binding Supreme Court precedents and the Attorney General's stance. The appeal asserted that the Likud party's claims, which formed the basis for the disqualification, had previously been raised and rejected. Adalah contended that the Likud's allegations did not prove the list's support for armed struggle against Israel and that the party relied on an outdated program of the National Democratic Assembly rather than the lists' current political platforms.

The appeal on behalf of the Unified Arab List, filed by attorneys Dr. Hassan Jabareen and Dr. Suhad Bishara, stated that the disqualification decision contravened judicial precedent and was not supported by sufficient evidence. They emphasized that disqualification is an exceptional measure requiring "a bloc of compelling evidence," and any doubt should favor the list. The appeal noted that the disqualification requests were based on previously rejected claims and did not present new evidence. Adalah also argued that the requests ignored the Unified Arab List's current platform, parliamentary activity, and candidates, relying instead on media reports insufficient for legal proof. The center stressed that no actual link was proven between the list and alleged affiliated organizations, and that the Attorney General herself concluded the submitted materials did not provide a legal basis for disqualification.

In its response regarding Sami Abu Shehadeh, Adalah attorneys Hadeel Abu Saleh, Hassan Jabareen, and Sama Bashir asserted that the evidence did not meet the judicial standard for disqualification. They highlighted that the case rested on a single article without an explicit call for armed struggle, and that Abu Shehadeh himself acknowledged the poor timing of its publication. Adalah argued the committee ignored the broader context and evidence of Abu Shehadeh's consistent opposition to violence, as well as a professional report differentiating between understanding and endorsing political contexts.

Regarding MK Ofer Cassif, attorneys Hassan Jabareen and Ariel Reem submitted a response arguing that the Likud's evidence was irrelevant and distorted. They countered the claim that Cassif's signature on a petition supporting South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice constituted support for Hamas, pointing out the petition explicitly condemned Hamas's actions. The response also criticized the Likud's claim that Cassif harmed state institutions by approaching the Inter-Parliamentary Union, of which the Knesset is a member. Adalah noted that the Secretary-General of the IPU had expressed concern to the Knesset Speaker, suggesting the Likud's actions, not Cassif's, could harm state institutions.