Israel Panel Bars Arab Party Ra'am, Two Lawmakers From Knesset Vote
The committee approved the ban by an 18-5 margin, siding with petitions alleging "the party rejects Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, incites racism and expresses support for an armed struggle against the country or actions of a terror organization against Israel."
Earlier in the day, the panel also voted 19-5, with two abstentions, to bar Knesset member Ofer Cassif from running with the Joint List, on claims he allegedly "denied Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state."
Separately, the committee disqualified Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh "on the grounds that he supported an armed struggle or actions of a terror organization against Israel." Israeli media reported the vote passed by a wide margin.
Under Israeli election law, barring an individual candidate requires sign-off from the Supreme Court before it can take effect, while decisions excluding entire party lists may be appealed to the court.
The petitions driving the disqualifications were filed by Israeli parties and groups, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud. The Supreme Court is expected to weigh in on the rulings before the election takes place. Ra'am had not issued a response to the committee's decision as of Wednesday.
Ra'am captured five seats in Israel's 2022 parliamentary election, and current polling suggests it could match or slightly exceed that total this time around. Roughly 21% of Israel's population is Palestinian Arab.
The Oct. 27 vote features 38 competing lists, each needing to clear the electoral threshold to win seats in the 120-member Knesset, where any governing coalition must secure at least 61 lawmakers' support.
The disqualification rulings land amid intensifying political debate over the place of Arab parties and candidates within Israel's electoral system as the vote approaches.
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