Israel Supreme Court overturns ban on Arab parties ahead of October 27 election

Israel's Supreme Court has overturned an election panel's ban on the country's two main Arab-majority political lists, restoring them to the race for the October 27 Knesset election. The court also reinstated Knesset member Ofer Cassif, after the Central Elections Committee had moved to bar him and the parties from contesting the vote. The ruling removes an immediate obstacle to their participation in the parliamentary contest.

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According to the supplied report, the justices ruled unanimously to reinstate Ra'am, also known as the United Arab List, and the Joint List, an alliance of Hadash, Ta'al and Balad. Cassif was restored by a 7-2 vote, while two dissenting justices said he supported armed struggle against the state and should remain disqualified. The court said the legal requirements for exclusion had not been met, and the decision came after the committee's September vote to disqualify the lists and some individuals.

The ruling is significant because it affects political representation for Palestinian citizens of Israel, who make up about 20 percent of the population. It also follows a period of heightened legal and political dispute over Arab participation in elections, with the court having nearly always overturned committee bans in the past. In the same case, Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew from the election after being told by Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit that a majority of justices favoured disqualifying him if he did not step aside.

The dispute has drawn in senior political figures and sharpened debate over the standards used to exclude candidates. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir pushed for Abu Shehadeh's removal, citing an article he wrote after the October 7, 2023 attacks, while the attorney general backed his disqualification over language seen as supportive of armed struggle. Balad warned that a court-ordered removal would have grave consequences for the country's political and parliamentary life, saying it could set a precedent for excluding Arab candidates.

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The case also reflects the broader role of the Supreme Court in reviewing election disqualifications in Israel, where such appeals are often closely watched for their impact on representation and legitimacy. Ra'am, the Joint List, Balad and Hadash are all part of the country's Arab and Arab-Jewish political landscape, and the outcome shapes who can compete for seats in the next Knesset. The court's intervention means the immediate election picture has changed, but the legal and political arguments behind the dispute remain unresolved.

What remains unclear is whether any further challenges will follow and how the restored candidacies will affect campaigning before the vote. The court has already shown it is willing to intervene when it finds the legal threshold for exclusion has not been met, but the dissent on Cassif shows the issue is still contested. The next developments to watch are the final shape of the ballot and whether the ruling influences future attempts to bar candidates from standing for office.

Israel's Supreme Court has begun hearing appeals over decisions to bar Arab electoral lists and candidates from the country's October 27 Knesset election. The case centres on rulings by the Central Elections Committee that affected the main Arab-majority lists Ra'am and the Joint List, as well as Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh and Hadash lawmaker Ofer Cassif. The court also advised Abu Shehadeh to withdraw his candidacy, warning that it could otherwise issue a ruling disqualifying him.

The hearing took place on Thursday before a panel of nine justices, according to the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation. Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit told Abu Shehadeh that a majority of judges favoured disqualifying his candidacy and gave him until Friday to withdraw, the broadcaster reported. If he does not step aside, the court would need to issue a formal ruling.

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The Central Elections Committee had voted last week to disqualify the two Arab-majority lists and to bar Abu Shehadeh and Cassif from the election. The dispute has immediate consequences for political representation in Israel's parliament. Ra'am, the Joint List, Balad and Hadash are all part of the country's Arab and Arab-Jewish political landscape, and the committee's decisions could affect who is able to compete for seats in the next Knesset.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, whose Otzma Yehudit party petitioned to disqualify Abu Shehadeh, appeared in court wearing a lawyer's robe. He said Abu Shehadeh could not serve in the Knesset and described him as a supporter of terrorism. Abu Shehadeh denied the allegations during the hearing.

He said his words may have been taken out of context and insisted that he is completely opposed to acts of violence. The attorney general, Gali Baharav-Miara, backed his disqualification over an article he published a day after the October 7, 2023 attacks, saying it expressed support for armed struggle. She opposed disqualifying Cassif, according to the report, underscoring that the court is weighing each case separately.

The appeal comes against a backdrop of repeated legal and political disputes over Arab representation in Israel's elections. Abu Shehadeh previously served in the Knesset on the Joint List from September 2019 until November 2022, while Balad was voted out of the Knesset in 2022. Cassif first entered the political arena on the joint Hadash-Ta'al list in April 2019, on the slot reserved for a Jewish candidate.

The current case therefore goes beyond one election bid and touches on the broader question of who can stand for office and under what standards. What remains unclear is how the full court will rule on the appeals and whether the committee's disqualifications will stand. The immediate next step is Abu Shehadeh's deadline to withdraw, after which the judges may issue a decision if he does not.

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