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Akbar Novruz

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Israel’s Central Elections Committee has voted to disqualify the country’s two main Arab political lists from next month’s Knesset election, along with two individual candidates, in a move that the parties have condemned as politically motivated.

The committee voted on September 23 to bar the United Arab List, or Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, and the Joint List, an alliance comprising the Arab-led Hadash, Ta’al and Balad parties, from participating in the October 27 election. It also voted separately to disqualify Hadash lawmaker Ofer Cassif and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh.

The decisions are not yet final. Disqualifications involving individual candidates require approval by Israel’s Supreme Court, while the political lists can appeal their exclusion. Adalah, the legal center representing the parties and candidates, said it would challenge the decisions before the court, which is expected to consider the cases next week.

Ra’am’s disqualification was approved by an 18-5 vote, with one abstention, while the Joint List was also barred by an 18-5 vote. The committee voted 19-5, with two abstentions, to disqualify Cassif, while Abu Shehadeh was disqualified by a 31-4 vote.

The petitions seeking to bar the parties invoke Section 7A of Israel’s Basic Law: The Knesset. The provision allows a party or candidate to be excluded from an election for denying Israel’s existence as a “Jewish and democratic state,” inciting racism, or supporting armed struggle against Israel by an enemy state or an organization designated as terrorist.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party sought to disqualify the Joint List and Cassif and was among the groups that filed a petition against Ra’am. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party also sought to bar Abu Shehadeh. Other petitions against Ra’am were filed by Otzma Yehudit and the Choosing Life Forum of bereaved families and victims of terrorism.

Israel’s Attorney General’s Office opposed the disqualification of Ra’am and the Joint List, arguing that the evidence presented did not meet the stringent legal threshold required to bar the lists. According to the Jerusalem Post, the Attorney General’s Office said the evidence against both lists was insufficient, although the committee voted to disqualify them.

Adalah has similarly disputed the allegations. Regarding Ra’am, it said the petitions presented no evidence that the party supports armed struggle by a terrorist organization or enemy state. In the case of the Joint List, the organization argued that the petitions relied heavily on outdated material, including bills proposed in previous Knessets and positions that had previously been examined.

Ra’am described its exclusion as “political and unacceptable,” saying the decision was intended to prevent the party from influencing the balance of power and contributing to a change of government.

The Joint List also condemned the decision, accusing Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir of seeking to discourage Arab citizens from voting because, in the party’s view, they fear the ability of Arab voters to influence the government’s future.

Joint List leader Yousef Jabareen questioned how the committee could bar parties representing more than 1.25 million voters.

Abu Shehadeh said his disqualification was an attempt to silence criticism of government policy. He said the decision would be challenged both in court and through public protest.

Rejecting allegations that he supports violence, Abu Shehadeh told The Times of Israel: “I have never called for violence or terrorism. I oppose armed struggle.”

The cases involving Cassif and Abu Shehadeh are subject to Supreme Court review, while Ra’am and the Joint List are expected to appeal their disqualifications. The court’s consideration will determine whether the decisions take effect ahead of the October 27 election.