Likud Party political and legal election maneuvers

The Likud Party has initiated several political and legal maneuvers ahead of Israeli elections. Initially, the party called for criminal investigations into journalist Shlomi Eldar, reporter Ruth Yuval, the newspaper Haaretz, and politician Yair Golan. Likud alleged a coordinated effort to influence elections through false reports, claiming that Palestinian leader Mohammed Dahlan, based in the United Arab Emirates, sought to destabilize Benjamin Netanyahu’s government to gain control over the Gaza Strip.

Following these allegations of foreign interference, the Likud Party announced intentions to request that the Central Elections Committee disqualify the Joint List and the United List from participating in the Knesset elections. The party justified this move by stating there is ‘no place in the Knesset for those who harm Israeli army soldiers,’ targeting the positions of these Arab-led political groups. While the committee can consider disqualification based on claims of inciting racism or denying Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state, historical precedents show that the Israeli Supreme Court has frequently overturned such decisions.