Likud and Otzma Yehudit petition to disqualify Ra'am from elections
Likud and Otzma Yehudit petitioned the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Ra'am and the Joint List from the upcoming Knesset elections, citing alleged terror support.
Days after "Otzma Yehudit" announced its petition to the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Ra'am and Mansour Abbas from running in the upcoming Knesset elections, the "Likud" party announced on Sunday that it is also seeking to disqualify Ra'am and the Joint List.
Likud and Otzma Yehudit Petitions
"In the Knesset, there is no place for those who harm IDF soldiers and cannot state that Hamas and Hezbollah are terrorist organizations," the "Likud" statement read. The ruling party added that "these terror supporters are the natural partners of Gadi Eisenkot, with whom he wants to form a government alongside Yair Golan and Avigdor Lieberman. This must not be allowed to happen."
"Otzma Yehudit" Chairman Itamar Ben Gvir, who also submitted a disqualification request, stated that the petition addresses statements by Mansour Abbas which allegedly demonstrate only a declarative acceptance of Israel's Jewish character to avoid disqualification, alongside his refusal to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization.
"The wolf in sheep's clothing must be thrown out of the Knesset. Mansour Abbas and his people are Hamas-supporting saboteurs," said Itamar Ben Gvir.
Legal Framework and Precedents
The parties' move is widely viewed as a campaign strategy targeting the opposition's stance on Ra'am, allowing "Likud" to frame any opposition hesitation as a desire to renew cooperation with Arab factions. According to past Supreme Court rulings, however, neither Ra'am nor the Joint List are expected to be barred from participating.
The disqualification procedure begins in the Central Elections Committee under Section 7A of the Basic Law: The Knesset. Grounds for disqualification include negating Israel's Jewish and democratic character, incitement to racism, or supporting armed struggle by an enemy state or terrorist organization.
While the committee may vote to disqualify Arab lists due to the coalition majority headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the Supreme Court typically overturns such decisions, protecting the constitutional right to vote and run for office as an exceptional measure.
