Is Israel’s plan to exclude Muslims from the electoral roll, a move by Netanyahu to win the election?

Ahead of the October 27 elections in Israel, it has been decided to bar two major Arab parties from contesting. On September 23, the Central Election Committee voted in favor of excluding Mansoor Abbas’ Ram and the joint list from the polls. The joint list includes the Hadash, Tal and Balad parties. However, this decision is not final yet. Both parties can challenge it in the Supreme Court.

The committee also decided to ban Hadash MP Ofer Kasif and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehdeh from contesting the elections. Exclusion of any individual candidate from the election requires the approval of the Supreme Court. These cases may be heard next week.

On what basis was the action taken?

This action is taken under Article 7A of the Basic Law: Knesset. Under this, any party or candidate can be excluded from the election if it refuses to recognize Israel as a Jewish and democratic country, incites racism or supports the armed struggle of any enemy country or terrorist organization against Israel.

The petitions against Ram were filed by Netanyahu’s Likud party, Otzma Yehudit and an organization. The committee ousted Ram by a vote of 18-5. Likud filed a petition against the joint list. The decision to exclude Sami Abu Shehadeh from the election was made by a vote of 31-4. On 8 October 2023, an article written against him was relied upon. Abu Shehdeh has denied supporting violence or terrorism.

What will be the impact of this decision?

The impact of this decision on the Arab vote could be significant. In 2021, Ra’am supported the formation of the government of Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, ending Netanyahu’s 12 years of continuous rule. Now Likud itself has demanded the exclusion of Arab parties from the elections. In a September 22 Channel 12 poll, the joint list was expected to win 7 seats and Ram 5 seats, while Netanyahu’s current coalition was given 50 seats. However, a possible 12 seats for Arab parties do not automatically go to Netanyahu’s opponents, as opposition parties are divided over Arab support.

The Supreme Court will now decide whether the charges leveled against these parties and candidates meet the legal criteria to bar them from contesting the elections. The court has already overturned some of the restrictions imposed on Arab parties and candidates. Therefore, the Supreme Court will take the final decision on whether his name will be on the ballot in the elections to be held on October 27.