Israeli Right-Wing Outrage Over Supreme Court Election Rulings

Israel's Supreme Court has allowed the Arab parties Ra'am and the Joint List to run in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections, and also permitted Member of Knesset Ofer Cassif to participate. This decision has sparked sharp criticism from right-wing parties.

Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose Otzma Yehudit party is part of the ruling coalition, claimed credit for Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of Balad, withdrawing from the race. Ben-Gvir released an audio message stating, "We promised and we delivered. Otzma Yehudit succeeded in removing Sami Abu Shehadeh and not allowing him to enter the Knesset." He added that his party "will not allow supporters of terrorism and eulogizers of martyrs to operate freely in the Knesset," and intends to work to disqualify Cassif and MK Ahmed Tibi.

The "Choosing Life" forum, which was involved in the Ra'am case, called the ruling "an extremely serious decision." The forum alleged it presented judges with extensive evidence of financial and political support for armed struggle by terror organizations, including funds from an NGO linked to Ra'am reaching Hamas. "Any further funding of terrorism in the future through Ra'am or the bodies and connections we warned about will be directly on the Supreme Court justices," the forum stated. They also criticized the Attorney General and announced plans to amend Basic Law: The Knesset to prevent the court from overturning election committee disqualifications.

Attorney Yitzhak Bam, representing the forum, stated, "There are judges in Jerusalem, the process of disqualifying lists has become a political and not a legal process." He argued that after Abu Shehadeh's removal, no evidence would have been sufficient to disqualify Ra'am. "With one hand their representatives will vote in the Knesset, with the other, they will continue to transfer funds to terrorism."

Chairman of the Constitution Committee, MK Simcha Rothman, claimed the justices missed an "opportunity to wake up from the conception and connect with the people of Israel." He called the decision not to disqualify Cassif and to ignore evidence against Ra'am and the Joint List "a boost to terrorism," warning that Israel "will pay the heavy price of detachment and folly." Rothman described the lack of a decision on Abu Shehadeh as a "shameful escape" and noted that ten new Supreme Court justices will be appointed in the next Knesset. He believes a right-wing victory is necessary to prevent these new justices from continuing the "conception judges" who have not learned from the October 7th Hamas massacre.

The "Am Israel" party, led by Yuval Winter, also attacked the ruling, stating the Supreme Court has "lost its way and prefers to legitimize terror supporters instead of fighting them." The party argued that Arab parties that have not condemned the massacre and struggle to define Hamas as a terror organization should not be in the Knesset. They called on Arab citizens seeking concern for Israeli Arabs, not those in Ramallah and Gaza, to join them, adding, "You are not right-wing."

Avigdor Lieberman, chairman of Yisrael Beiteinu, stated that as long as Abu Shehadeh remains Balad's chairman and his party's representatives are in the Knesset, it constitutes "representation of a terror organization in the Knesset." He called for Balad to be outlawed. Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich responded to Lieberman, accusing him of being part of a bloc that would form a government with the support of the Joint List, and warned that such a government would halt construction in E1, curb the settlement revolution, and bring European Union aspirations against Israel to Jerusalem.