Israeli Judiciary Annuls Election Committee's Decision to Ban Two Arab Lists
Amman2 min read
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The Israeli Supreme Court on Friday allowed two Arab-majority lists to participate in the legislative elections scheduled for October 27, annulling the Election Committee's decision to exclude them at the request of the ruling coalition.
The Central Elections Committee voted on September 23, at the request of members of the coalition led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, to invalidate the candidacy of the two lists, based on a law prohibiting any party or person from participating who "denies the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state," or supports armed action "for a hostile state or organization against Israel."
In three separate rulings, the Supreme Court found that the "arguments presented by the Elections Committee" were not sufficient to invalidate the candidacy of the "United Arab List" and the "Joint List" which includes three Arab-majority parties, according to the provisions.
The Joint List includes the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash), the National Democratic Assembly (Balad), and the Arab Movement for Change. The United Arab List (Ra'am) is of moderate Islamic orientation, led by MP Mansour Abbas, and included in late August a Jewish candidate, Yoav Segalovich, a former police official.
The Supreme Court, which systematically annuls disqualification decisions by the Elections Committee, unanimously allowed the two lists to run in the elections.
In addition to the two lists, the Elections Committee also annulled the individual candidacy of MP Ofer Cassif, a member of the Hadash party, and Sami Abu Shahadeh, the head of the Balad party.
The Supreme Court ruled on Cassif's eligibility to run with a majority of seven judges, while two considered him to have "supported armed action against the State of Israel."
Regarding Sami Abu Shahadeh, the court ruled on Thursday to invalidate his candidacy for describing the October 7, 2023 attack on southern Israel as a "significant historical event."
