Election Committee Orders Removal of Likud Campaign Ads Featuring Opponents
Translated & summarized from Now 14 by baba
Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg ordered local authorities to remove Likud campaign billboards featuring Gadi Eisenkot alongside Mansour Abbas and Ahmed Tibi. The order came after the Likud failed to comply with an initial removal directive. The Likud party criticized the decision as an attempt to hide Eisenkot's alleged intentions to form a left-wing government. The "Yashar!" party had petitioned the committee, claiming the billboards were intentionally misleading to voters who do not read Arabic.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Justice Sohlberg ordered local authorities to remove Likud campaign billboards featuring Eisenkot with Abbas and Tibi.
- The Likud party failed to comply with an initial order to remove the controversial campaign signs.
- The "Yashar!" party petitioned the elections committee, alleging voter deception by the Likud.
- The Likud criticized the order as an attempt to conceal Eisenkot's alleged plans for a left-wing government.
- The billboards were designed to potentially mislead Arabic-illiterate voters about political affiliations.
The Chairman of the Central Elections Committee and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg issued a new order Saturday night, directing all local authorities in Israel to remove Likud campaign billboards. These billboards feature Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the "Yashar!" party, alongside Knesset members Mansour Abbas and Ahmed Tibi, with accompanying Arabic text.
Sohlberg's decision to transfer responsibility to local authorities stems from the Likud party's failure to comply with a previous removal order within the stipulated timeframe. The judge emphasized that the Likud party is still obligated to remove the signs and must update the committee by 9:00 AM Sunday with the actions taken. The Likud party stated they would comply with the judge's ruling but strongly criticized it as an attempt to conceal Eisenkot's alleged intentions to form a "left-wing government" with Abbas and Tibi.
The judge's order noted that the Likud party had been given an opportunity to present its arguments but failed to do so, leading to the enforcement of direct measures. The order mandates that local authorities remove the signs posted within their jurisdictions. Sohlberg also instructed the Likud to immediately inform all relevant local authorities of the decision and indicated that he would consider ordering the Knesset speaker to address potential removal costs if appropriate data is provided.
This escalation follows an initial order by Sohlberg on Friday, which demanded the removal of the billboards by 3:30 PM. In his reasoning, Sohlberg argued that the billboards, which also included other party leaders alongside Abbas and Tibi, could mislead voters, particularly those who do not read Arabic, about a potential political connection between the parties. He stated that the Arabic text did not negate the risk of deception and failed to meet the identification requirements of election law.
The "Yashar!" party filed an urgent petition against the Likud, represented by attorneys Uriel Heberman and Adi Marinberg, and Ilan Bombach respectively. The party claimed the Likud had erected signs in Jerusalem and other locations, designed in "Yashar!" party colors, to intentionally mislead voters who do not read Arabic, making them mistakenly believe the campaign was from their party. "Yashar!" alleged a violation of transparency and propaganda rules, demanding immediate removal of the signage, which prompted the judge's intervention.
