Israel Supreme Court Overturns Ban on Arab Parties Ahead of Election
Ra’am and the Joint List reinstated unanimously; Cassif cleared 7-2 as Balad’s leader withdraws.
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File photo: The Knesset building in Jerusalem. Photo: Clema12, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Israel’s basic laws allow parties or candidates to be barred for negating Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state, for incitement to racism, or for support for armed struggle by a hostile state or terrorist organisation. Petitions from Likud and Otzma Yehudit argued that Arab parties or specific candidates crossed those lines. The Supreme Court has historically overturned many committee disqualifications.
Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, made history after the 2021 election by joining an Israeli government for the first time as an Arab party. Polls cited by DW show Likud in a close race with former general Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar faction, with neither side expected to form a government alone. Ra’am could again prove pivotal in coalition talks if it clears the electoral threshold.
Campaign returns to the ballot
Cassif’s reinstatement keeps a high-profile left-wing critic in the race. The 7-2 vote underscores how narrowly some individual cases are decided even when party lists are restored unanimously. With voting set for 27 October, the ruling returns the focus from courtroom disqualifications to campaigning among Arab and Jewish voters alike.
