Israeli Arab Groups Ask High Court to Ban Guns at Polling Stations

The Adalah Center and the Joint List have petitioned Israel's Supreme Court to prohibit election officials and party representatives from carrying weapons inside polling stations during the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The petition was filed following an announcement by the Likud and Religious Zionism parties on the 15th of the month that they intended to deploy approximately 2,000 observers, many of them students from Religious Zionism's seminaries, to polling stations in Arab communities. The petitioners argue that the presence of armed individuals in polling stations, amid heightened political tensions and a campaign that falsely labels Arab citizens as threats to election integrity, could intimidate voters, undermine the electoral process, and potentially lead to violent confrontations and endanger lives. They requested an urgent court session to address the matter.

The petition targets a directive from the Israel Police's "Security and Licensing Department" dated October 1, 2026, which explicitly permits election officials and party representatives with valid gun licenses to carry their personal weapons inside polling stations. Adalah stated that the Central Elections Committee informed them the issue falls under the police's exclusive jurisdiction, while neither the police nor the Minister of National Security have substantively responded to the urgent requests to revoke the directive and ban weapons in polling stations. Attorney Ari Remez from Adalah asserted that the directive constitutes an unfounded racist stigmatization of Arab citizens and their representatives, aiming to delegitimize them rather than ensure election integrity.

The petitioners warned that armed officials could intimidate voters, particularly within a national minority context. They emphasized that the mere presence of weapons could erode Arab citizens' sense of security and trust in the electoral process, potentially sparking violence. The petition highlights the need to protect the constitutional right to vote and hold free, equal, and fair elections, as well as maintain public order and human life. They claimed that deploying political activists in Arab and mixed cities, under the guise of portraying Arab residents as a threat, is intended to provoke and escalate tensions, asserting that authorities have the power to prevent such risks.

Adalah and the Joint List urged the court to issue an order banning weapons in polling stations and to hold an urgent session to resolve the issue before election day. Professor Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List, stated, "We will do our utmost to stop the attempt by Ben-Gvir and Smotrich to bring armed settlers into our polling stations. Bringing weapons into polling stations is a dangerous provocation that cannot be accepted." He expressed hope that the court would ensure election integrity and protect citizens' right to vote without intimidation, adding, "They will receive our response at the ballot box, when we ourselves will send them back to their homes."

The Supreme Court has ordered the respondents to submit their response to the petition by noon on Sunday, October 25, 2026.