Israel bars Ra’am party from Knesset elections — Anadolu Agency

Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted on September 23 to bar the United Arab List, or Ra’am, from the Knesset elections scheduled for October 27. The party is led by Mansour Abbas. As Anadolu Agency reports, 18 committee members supported the decision, while five voted against it.

Grounds for the decision

The committee granted petitions whose authors claimed that Ra’am does not recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, incites racism, and supports armed struggle against the country or the actions of a terrorist organization against Israel. There was no immediate reaction from the party to the committee’s decision.

The petitions were filed by Israeli parties and organizations, including Otzma Yehudit of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud.

Other committee decisions

On the same day, the committee voted 19 to five, with two abstentions, to bar Knesset member Ofer Cassif from participating in the elections as part of the Joint List. The grounds were claims that he denied the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.

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The committee also decided to disqualify Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh. The stated grounds for the decision were claims that he supported armed struggle or the actions of a terrorist organization against Israel. According to Israeli media, the decision received a substantial majority in the committee.

Possible court review

Under Israeli electoral law, the disqualification of an individual candidate takes effect only after approval by the Supreme Court. Decisions concerning electoral lists may be appealed in court. The Supreme Court is expected to review these decisions before the vote.

Thirty-eight lists are competing in the Knesset elections. To enter the 120-seat parliament, parties must pass the electoral threshold, while forming a government requires the support of at least 61 lawmakers. In the 2022 parliamentary elections, Ra’am won five seats.