Israel's Supreme Court Hears Cases on Banning Arab Parties and Lawmakers

Israel's Supreme Court is holding a critical hearing with an expanded nine-judge panel to decide on the disqualification of Arab parties and lawmakers from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The court must issue its ruling by Sunday, just 23 days before the election and one day before ballot papers are printed.

The cases involve the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List, as well as lawmakers Sami Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif. The Central Elections Committee had previously voted to disqualify them, a decision now under appeal.

Outside the courtroom, supporters of the Joint List protested, clashing with counter-protesters from the "Choosing Life" forum. A heated exchange also occurred between Public Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and supporters of Balad, a party within the Joint List, with Ben-Gvir calling them "terror supporters."

The most contentious case involves Sami Abu Shehadeh, whose disqualification was supported by most Zionist opposition parties. The Central Elections Committee chairman, Deputy Supreme Court President Noam Sohlberg, also voted for his disqualification, breaking with tradition. The disqualification is based on an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, discussing the Hamas attack and Palestinian resistance. Abu Shehadeh has stated he did not intend to justify the atrocities and has since called for peace. The Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, supports Abu Shehadeh's disqualification, citing his support for armed struggle against Israel.

The court will also hear the appeal of Ofer Cassif, whose disqualification request from the Likud party is based on his international activities, including support for South Africa's case against Israel at the International Court of Justice and calls for sanctions against settlements. Cassif denies supporting armed struggle, distinguishing his opposition to government policy from support for Hamas. The Attorney General opposes Cassif's disqualification, arguing that accusing Israel of war crimes differs from supporting armed struggle.

Discussions will also cover the disqualification of the entire Joint List, with the Likud citing the party's platform and statements as evidence of denying Israel's Jewish character and supporting armed struggle. The Joint List argues that much of the material is outdated and that their current agenda focuses on issues like fighting crime in the Arab community and supporting a Palestinian state. The Attorney General also opposes the disqualification of the Joint List, stating insufficient evidence to disqualify the entire list.

Finally, the court will address the disqualification of Ra'am, facing allegations of ties between the party and its leaders to charities that allegedly aided terrorist organizations. Ra'am denies these claims, calling the disqualification a political move. The Attorney General also opposes Ra'am's disqualification, finding no established link between the party and the charities.

In parallel, the head of the Joint List, Yousef Jabareen, has appealed to the President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union for urgent international intervention against the disqualification proceedings.