Key facts
- Israel's Central Elections Committee voted to ban the Ra'am party and the Joint List from the October 27 parliamentary election.
- Candidates Ofer Cassif and Sami Abou Shahadeh were also disqualified by the committee.
- The disqualifications were based on accusations of denying Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state and supporting armed struggle.
- The committee's decisions must be reviewed by the Supreme Court.
- The attorney general's office opposed the disqualification of Ra'am, the Joint List, and Cassif, but supported considering Abou Shahadeh's disqualification.
Israel's Central Elections Committee voted on Wednesday to ban two of the country's main Arab-majority political lists, Ra'am and the Joint List, from participating in the upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for October 27. The committee also disqualified two prominent candidates, Ofer Cassif and Sami Abou Shahadeh, from standing for election.
The decisions followed petitions from right-wing parties Likud and Otzma Yehudit, which accused the parties and candidates of denying Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, supporting armed struggle against Israel, and inciting racism. The committee, composed largely of representatives from parties within the governing coalition, voted 18-5 to ban Ra'am and the Joint List, and 19-5 to disqualify Cassif. A separate vote to ban Abou Shahadeh passed with 30 votes in favor and four against, with support from opposition parties and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.
Baharav-Miara stated that Abou Shahadeh's disqualification should be "seriously considered" due to an article he wrote that could be interpreted as support for armed struggle against Israel. Abou Shahadeh has denied these accusations, asserting his opposition to armed struggle and commitment to "political and civil struggle for peace, justice, and equality." He described the vote as an attempt to harm the representation of Arab society.
Cassif, a vocal critic of the government's actions in Gaza, called the disqualifications "another nail in the coffin of the remnants of democracy." He and the Joint List intend to be in the next Knesset. The Supreme Court has historically overturned most attempts to disqualify Arab parties and candidates, and its review is expected next week. The attorney general's office had opposed the disqualification of Ra'am, the Joint List, and Cassif, citing insufficient evidence, but took a different stance on Abou Shahadeh.