Israel's Supreme Court Rejects Bid to Disqualify Far-Right Party
Translated & summarized from Srugim by baba
Israel's Supreme Court rejected a petition to disqualify the Otzma Yehudit party and its leaders, including Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, from elections. The court found the petitioners failed to meet the required burden of proof for disqualification based on alleged racism and denial of Israel's existence.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Supreme Court rejected petition to disqualify Otzma Yehudit party.
- Petition cited racism and denial of Israel's existence as grounds.
- Justices ruled petitioners failed to meet burden of proof.
- Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Tali Gottlieb were named in the petition.
- The ruling follows a similar case involving MK Sami Abu Shehadeh.
Israel's Supreme Court on Sunday rejected a petition seeking to disqualify the "Otzma Yehudit" party and its prominent figures, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and MK Tali Gottlieb, from participating in the 26th Knesset elections. The petition, filed by the Democrats party, argued that the party and its representatives violated provisions of Basic Law: The Knesset, specifically those related to denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and inciting racism.
Justices Ofer Grosskopf, Daphna Barak Erez, and Khaled Kabub ruled that the petitioners failed to meet the burden of proof required for such a disqualification. They noted that while ordinary legislation cannot limit the Supreme Court's authority, it can impose an additional burden on petitioners to justify their claims, especially when bypassing standard appeal procedures.
The court pointed out that the petitioners had not approached the Attorney General, who also has the right to appeal decisions regarding party disqualifications, regarding the Otzma Yehudit list. The ruling referenced a previous case, "Zulat," emphasizing the court's stance on such matters.
This decision comes after Otzma Yehudit secured a victory last week when MK Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy just before the Supreme Court could officially rule on his disqualification. Ben-Gvir had reportedly demanded the court provide full reasoning for Abu Shehadeh's disqualification, which the court had apparently sought to avoid announcing.
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