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[POLITICS] · Israel · 51 sources

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Israel Central Elections Committee votes to bar main Arab lists

Israel’s Central Elections Committee has voted to disqualify the two primary Arab electoral lists and several individual candidates ahead of the October 27 parliamentary elections. The committee voted to bar the United Arab List (Ra’am), led by Mansour Abbas, and the Joint List, an alliance including Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad. Additionally, the committee voted to disqualify Hadash legislator Ofer Cassif and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh.

The disqualification requests were brought by members of the governing coalition, including the Likud and Otzma Yehudit parties. Proponents argued that these groups deny Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state or support armed struggle. However, Israel’s Attorney General indicated there was insufficient legal grounds to disqualify Ra’am and the Joint List.

The affected parties and candidates have condemned the move as political and discriminatory. Ra’am described the exclusion as an attempt to shift the balance of power, while the Joint List characterized it as an effort to discourage Arab citizens from voting. The decisions are not final and must be reviewed by the Supreme Court, which has historically overturned similar disqualifications.

Entities

Benjamin Netanyahu · Central Elections Committee · Democratic National Assembly · Gali Baharav Miara · Itamar Ben-Gvir · Knesset · Mansour Abbas · Noam Sohlberg · Ofer Cassif · Ra’am · Sami Abu Shehadeh · Sami Abu Shuhada

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