10 disqualification petitions in two days: The political battle moves to the Elections Committee, Balad chairman in focus
The Central Elections Committee will convene for a marathon of discussions on ten disqualification petitions filed against candidates and lists. At the center of the discussions is Otzma Yehudit's petition to disqualify Balad chairman Sami Abu Shahada, on the grounds of support for armed struggle against Israel. The Attorney General determined that a cause exists in his case, but did not explicitly recommend disqualification. Meanwhile, petitions were filed against Ra'am, Otzma Yehudit, The Democrats, Religious Zionism, and the Joint List. The discussions are also expected to serve as a political tool in the election campaign.
The Central Elections Committee will convene today and tomorrow for a marathon of discussions on ten disqualification petitions filed against candidates and lists running for the Knesset. At the center of the discussions is Otzma Yehudit's petition to disqualify Balad chairman Sami Abu Shahada, on the grounds that he supports armed struggle against Israel. The petition is based on an article published by Abu Shahada on October 8, 2023, a day after the October 7 attack, in which he described the events as "a historic event of importance in the military, political, and strategic sense." The Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, determined that a cause of support for armed struggle exists in his case, but did not explicitly recommend his disqualification. Meanwhile, three petitions were filed against Ra'am (by Otzma Yehudit, Likud, and the "Choosing Life" forum), two against Otzma Yehudit (by The Democrats and the Zulat Institute), a petition against The Democrats (by Otzma Yehudit), a petition against Religious Zionism (by the Zulat Institute), a petition against the Joint List and specifically against Ofer Cassif (by Likud), and a petition against Balad (by Orot HaShachar). The Attorney General determined that in the other petitions, the required grounds for disqualification do not exist. The discussions are also expected to serve as a political tool: the coalition seeks to disqualify Ra'am, thereby putting opposition parties in a dilemma. Minister Itamar Ben Gvir and MK Tali Gottlieb are expected to appear before the committee. The committee's decisions, chaired by Justice Noam Sohlberg, can be appealed to the High Court of Justice.