Following Ra'am: Central Elections Committee Disqualified Joint List by Majority of 18 to 5

The Central Elections Committee, headed by Justice Noam Solberg, decided to accept the Likud's request and disqualify the Joint List from running in the 26th Knesset elections, by a majority of 18 to five committee members opposed and one abstaining.

The Central Elections Committee, headed by Justice Noam Solberg, decided today (Wednesday) to accept the Likud's request and disqualify the Joint List from running in the 26th Knesset elections. The request was filed under Section 7A(a)(1) of the Basic Law: the Knesset, on two grounds: denying the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, and support for armed struggle of a hostile state or terror organization against it. According to the committee statement, 18 of its members voted in favor of the request, five opposed and one member abstained, and pursuant to law the decision and reasoning will be forwarded for review by the Supreme Court.

The decision was made after the committee also disqualified Ra'am from running in the elections earlier that same day, and after it had previously disqualified the candidacy of Sami Abu Shkhada from the Joint List, based on his statements from October 8, one day after the Hamas massacre on Simchat Torah. In his hearing, Solberg announced that he would participate exceptionally in the vote, since he heard grave things that did not sit well with him. Meanwhile, the committee rejected by consensus the request from 'Orot Hayeharah' to disqualify Balad, on the grounds that no affidavit was attached to it. Hearings in the disqualification requests will resume tomorrow at 9:00 AM.