Israel’s Central Elections Committee Bans Arab Parties Ahead of October Polls

Less than a month before Israel’s general election on October 27, the Central Elections Committee (CEC) has voted to exclude all major Arab parties from the ballot, sparking intense debate over the balance between national security and democratic representation. The decision, which affects roughly one-fifth of the country’s population, is not yet final and faces immediate legal challenge at the Supreme Court.

The committee, which includes representatives from the outgoing parliament and is heavily weighted toward the ruling Likud party, voted 18-5 to ban both Ra’am (The United Arab List) and the Joint List coalition. The ban also targets two individual candidates from the Joint List: Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, and Ofer Cassif, a current lawmaker for Hadash.

Ra’am currently holds five seats in the 120-member Knesset and is known for its conservative, Islamic orientation. Earlier this year, the party announced it would permit Jewish candidates to run under its banner, with former police commissioner Yoav Segalovitz listed as a prospective candidate if permitted to proceed. The Joint List, a coalition formed to consolidate Arab votes and clear the 3.25% electoral threshold, combines Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad. Recent polling suggests the alliance commands support for at least seven seats.

In contrast to the rulings against Arab entities, the CEC rejected a petition the following day to disqualify National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party. Ben-Gvir has faced international condemnation, including from Germany, for suggesting that targeted killings should be conducted in Gaza regardless of whether individuals pose an immediate threat.

The legal basis for the exclusions stems from a stipulation in the Knesset’s Basic Law, which prohibits candidates who deny Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, incite racism, or support armed struggle by hostile entities or terrorist organizations. Petitioners from right-wing factions argued that leaders of the banned parties had crossed these lines. Specifically, they cited alleged ties between Ra’am-linked organizations and Hamas, as well as statements by Mansour Abbas that petitioners claimed sent conflicting messages to different linguistic audiences. Similar arguments were made regarding the past writings of Abu Shehadeh and Cassif.

Legal experts note that such bans are rare. Since a 1985 amendment allowed for these challenges, the Supreme Court has upheld only one disqualification—in 1988 against the ultra-nationalist Orthodox party Kach. While Balad had been banned in previous election cycles (2003, 2009, 2019, and 2022), those bans were consistently overturned by the highest court. This simultaneous exclusion of all major Arab-led lists would be unprecedented.

The banned parties and their legal representatives have firmly rejected the allegations. Adalah, the rights group representing the lists, characterized the CEC’s actions as an illegitimate political process designed to persecute unpopular ideas and eliminate Palestinian representation in parliament. Ra’am pointed to Mansour Abbas’s public condemnation of the October 7 attacks and his advocacy for Israeli hostages as evidence refuting claims of terrorist support. The Joint List accused the government of attempting to disenfranchise more than a million Arab citizens, while Cassif described the move as “another nail in the coffin” of Israel’s remaining democratic institutions.

Reactions within Israel have been sharply divided. Netanyahu’s Likud party strongly backed the bans, stating there is “no room in the Knesset for those who harm IDF soldiers and are unable to label Hamas and Hezbollah as terrorist organizations.” However, Israel’s legal establishment appears skeptical; the office of Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara reportedly concluded that the evidence did not meet the legal threshold for excluding Ra’am and the Joint List, though it supported the ban on Abu Shehadeh individually.

Centrist politicians have offered mixed responses, with some supporting the disqualification of specific candidates while expressing concern over the exclusion of entire party lists representing a significant minority. Media commentary has been largely critical. The Jerusalem Post warned that excluding Arab representatives was “dangerous and fundamentally undemocratic,” while the Times of Israel suggested the disqualifications were political maneuvers intended to energize the conservative base, betting that the Supreme Court would ultimately restore the status quo.

As the October 27 vote approaches, the Supreme Court is expected to issue a ruling on the appeals, which could determine whether Arab voters will have representation in the next Knesset.