Ra’am, Joint List fight bids to bar them from Knesset election

Ra’am and the Joint List, along with Balad and two Joint List candidates (MK Ofer Cassif and former MK Sami Abu Shehadeh), have requested the Central Elections Committee reject six challenges seeking to bar them from the upcoming 26th Knesset election. Adalah filed responses on their behalf. The challenges, filed by parties including Otzma Yehudit, Likud, and Orot Hashachar, allege grounds for disqualification under Basic Law: The Knesset, citing rejection of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, incitement to racism, or support for armed struggle against Israel.

• Three requests target Ra’am, alleging links to the Islamic Movement and Muslim Brotherhood, and claiming donations reached prohibited organizations. Ra’am denies formal ties, citing previous rejections of similar claims and chairman Mansour Abbas’s condemnation of the October 7 attacks.
• Likud seeks to bar the Joint List and Cassif, citing party platforms and Cassif’s criticism of Israel. The Joint List argues the material is old or distorted, and Cassif states he condemned Hamas’s attack.
• Otzma Yehudit and Ben-Gvir target Abu Shehadeh over an October 8, 2023, article analyzing the Hamas attack. Abu Shehadeh denies praising civilian killings and states he would not have published it knowing the full atrocities.

The Supreme Court has set a high bar for disqualification, requiring clear evidence that the prohibited position is central to the list or candidate. The committee, chaired by Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg, will hear arguments and vote, with decisions potentially subject to Supreme Court appeal.