'Hypocrisy': Israel's Palestinian parties hit back over election ban

The Joint List of Israel's Palestinian parties has condemned its ban from the upcoming Knesset elections in October, telling The New Arab that the decisions are "based on racism" and reflect the "hypocrisy of those who claim to support democracy".

The Joint List, made up of Hadash, Ta'al and Balad, is one of two major Arab-Israeli political blocs representing Palestinian citizens of Israel, the other being the United Arab List (Ra'am), which was also barred from the election.

Both lists were barred by Israel's Central Elections Committee (CEC) on Wednesday, which also disqualified Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh and Hadash MK Ofer Cassif from running. The decisions are set to be challenged at the Supreme Court next week.

A spokesperson for the Joint List told The New Arab that it understood the bans "to be political decisions based on racism against Arab Palestinian citizens and anyone who opposes the Israeli occupation", adding that the list was the only alternative political force in Israel that opposed Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories and respected international law. The spokesperson noted that while the initial effort to target the list came from Israel's far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, all Zionist political parties voted alongside him, including the left-wing The Democrats, which has positioned itself as one of the few parties backing a two-state solution.

"This shows the hypocrisy of those who claim to support democracy but are not willing to accept leaders who call for equality," the spokesperson said, adding that "they have shown that they are not a real alternative to the current Israeli government."

The Joint List, which also condemned the banning of Ra'am, is set to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court "as well as in every possible venue, both political and popular".

"We are not going to be intimidated. Our response should include promoting the widest possible participation in the elections on October 27th, making our voices heard no matter the context," the spokesperson added.

No legal grounds for ban

The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel (Adalah) is set to contest the disqualification of the political parties and Knesset candidates before the Supreme Court, with Tuesday the deadline for challenging the decisions.

Miriam Azem, Adalah's International Advocacy Coordinator, told The New Arab that the disqualification motions were expected, with Adalah having documented attempts to ban Arab parties and Knesset candidates in numerous Israeli elections, including in 2003, 2013, 2015, 2020 and 2022.

"What surprised us was the position of the Attorney General in the case of Dr. Sami Abu Shehadeh, and the fact that the Committee's chairman, Justice Noam Solhberg, took part in the vote himself," Azem said, noting that this had not happened in the past two decades.

"The Attorney General has taken a completely different route from past Supreme Court precedent. We expected her to state clearly that none of the lists or candidates should be disqualified, and to act as a check on this entirely illegitimate process."

By contrast, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara, who has repeatedly clashed with the Netanyahu government and fought off an attempt to dismiss her, said that a subsequent effort on Thursday to ban Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power), far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich's Religious Zionism party and its joint-ticket partner Zehut had no legal basis, according to Haaretz.

Both Ben-Gvir and Smotrich have faced international sanctions over their inflammatory rhetoric and policies towards Palestinians, and have advocated for the displacement of Palestinians from Gaza and the annexation of the occupied West Bank.

Azem said the Arab lists had been disqualified while Israeli far-right lists remained eligible to run, describing the decisions as reflecting a double standard.

"The message to Palestinian citizens is that they may vote, but not for their own leaders, and that their leadership is cast as the enemy," she said.

In the last Knesset, Israeli parties sought to oust two MKs over their staunch criticism of Israel's war on Gaza and occupation of the West Bank: Cassif in 2024 and Ayman Odeh, the former head of Hadash who stepped down ahead of this election, in 2025. Both attempts failed to secure the required supermajority in the Knesset.

There has also been widespread hostility among Israeli Jewish parties towards potential cooperation with Arab parties, despite polling suggesting that neither the pro- nor anti-Netanyahu blocs will hold enough seats to form a government without the support of Arab parties.

"Those who filed them [the motions] believe Arab representatives have no place in the Knesset unless they are Zionist and see Israel the way they do," Azem said.

Looking ahead to the Supreme Court challenge, Azem told The New Arab: "Our case is clear. None of the legal grounds for disqualification is met, and the decisions ignore the Court's precedent, which requires clear and convincing evidence that a disqualification ground is met."

She warned, however, that the current political climate in Israel and pressure on the judiciary meant that previous legal precedent could not be taken for granted.

"Even if the Court overturns them, the damage is done: every election cycle, Arab representatives are forced to prove their legitimacy."