"A critical mass has accumulated": Likud files a petition to disqualify the Joint List

Likud has submitted a petition to the Central Elections Committee to disqualify the entire Joint List and MK Ofer Cassif individually, claiming they deny Israel's Jewish and democratic character and support armed struggle against it. The petition, spanning dozens of pages and accompanied by a separate evidence file, relies on new publications and statements from recent years. Regarding Cassif, it cites his support for South Africa's lawsuit against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague in January 2024, where he signed a petition alleging "genocide." Also noted are his appeals to the British Parliament to expand sanctions, his support for International Criminal Court arrest warrants against Israeli officials, calls for refusal of orders, accusations against IDF commanders of war crimes, comparisons between the Gaza war and the Holocaust, and his labeling of the Shin Bet as a "terror organization." Likud argues that since the previous disqualification process, a "critical mass" of evidence has accumulated. Regarding the Joint List as a whole, the petition focuses on the Balad party and its positions on a "state of all its citizens," abolishing the Law of Return, and changing state symbols. Likud claims that Hadash and Ta'al cannot distance themselves from Balad's positions after choosing to run with it on a single list. The Elections Committee will be required to address the claims and evidence.