Israel election panel bars two Arab lists as Supreme Court review looms

Israel’s Central Elections Committee has voted to bar the Arab-majority Ra’am party and the Joint List from the election scheduled for October 27, setting up a high-stakes legal battle before the Supreme Court.

The committee voted on Wednesday, September 23, to disqualify both lists by 18 votes to five, with one abstention reported in each case. It also voted separately to disqualify two candidates on the Joint List: Hadash lawmaker Ofer Cassif and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh.

A day later, the committee rejected petitions seeking to disqualify the far-right Otzma Yehudit party. The decisions place questions about the boundaries of political participation at the centre of Israel’s election campaign.

What the committee decided

Petitions against Ra’am and the Joint List invoked Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset. That provision allows a list or candidate to be excluded for rejecting Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, inciting racism, or supporting armed struggle by an enemy state or terrorist organisation against Israel.

The committee accepted the petitions against the two Arab-majority lists. Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, and the Joint List have rejected the allegations and described the decisions as politically motivated. The parties’ responses are claims made by the parties themselves and should not be read as independent findings.

The attorney general’s representatives opposed disqualifying Ra’am, the Joint List and Cassif, according to Israeli reporting, arguing that the evidence did not meet the required legal threshold. The attorney general’s office took a different position in the case of Abu Shehadeh, saying there was a basis to consider his disqualification. Committee chairman and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg took the unusual step of voting in favour of excluding Abu Shehadeh.

What happens next

The committee’s votes do not by themselves settle who will appear on the ballot. Under Israeli election law, a decision to disqualify an individual candidate requires Supreme Court approval. A political list excluded by the committee may appeal to the court. Legal representatives for the affected parties have said they will challenge the decisions.

The Supreme Court has overturned several disqualification decisions in previous election cycles, but that history does not determine the outcome of these cases. The court must consider the evidence and legal arguments presented in each proceeding.

Why it matters

Arab citizens make up roughly one-fifth of Israel’s population. Ra’am and the Joint List are their two principal Arab-majority electoral options in this campaign. Their exclusion, if upheld, could significantly affect Arab representation in the next Knesset and the arithmetic of coalition formation.

The controversy also highlights the political structure of the Central Elections Committee. Its membership largely reflects the balance of parties in the outgoing Knesset, while a Supreme Court justice chairs it. Supporters of the disqualifications say Israeli law should prevent candidates or parties that cross the lines set by Section 7A from standing. Critics argue that a party-based committee can turn a legal safeguard into a political instrument.

GOD News will update this report when the Supreme Court rules. Until then, the exclusions remain contested decisions rather than a final determination of the October ballot.