'Israeli' Supreme Court hears appeals against Arab candidate bans
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- Ben Gvir led counter-protesters outside the Jerusalem courthouse, confronting Arab lawmakers and demonstrators.
- The Adalah Legal Center characterized the committee's decision as politically motivated and lacking valid evidence.
A nine-judge panel of the ‘Israeli’ Supreme Court convened on Thursday to hear appeals challenging the disqualification of major Arab political slates and candidates from the upcoming parliamentary election scheduled for October 27, as stated by an Anadolu correspondent.
Outside the courthouse, Arab lawmakers and their supporters held a demonstration, where they were met by National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir leading a far-right counter-protest waving ‘Israeli’ flags.
The hearing follows a September 23 decision by the Central Elections Committee to bar the Joint List led by Yousef Jabareen, the United Arab List (Ra'am) led by Mansour Abbas, former lawmaker Sami Abou Shehadeh, and Joint List lawmaker Ofer Cassif.
Addressing the court, Abou Shehadeh rejected accusations of backing violence, stating he is "against armed struggle" after officials cited a post published shortly after October 7, 2023, to justify his exclusion. Meanwhile, Cassif addressed supporters outside, pledging to "fight against fascism" and secure a peaceful future for both Palestinians and ‘Israelis’.
The Adalah Legal Center, representing the disqualified slates, released a statement on Wednesday evening condemning the committee's decision as "racist behavior" that lacks evidentiary grounds and violates legal precedent.
Adalah noted that the case against Abou Shehadeh relied entirely on a single article advocating a political path, which Abou Shehadeh stated that it was poorly timed.
The center further argued that the petition submitted by Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party against Cassif relied on distorted evidence used strictly for political propaganda.
The Central Elections Committee is an inherently political body dominated by representatives from the ruling coalition. While its disqualifications of individual candidates require Supreme Court confirmation and list bans are subject to appeal, the high court has historically overturned previous committee decisions aimed at banning Arab parties and lawmakers.
