Story perspectives

Israel’s election committee bars Joint List, Ra’am candidates

By Drooid · Sep 25, 2026, 8:00 PM UTC · How we work

Left

Silencing Palestinian Representation

Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to bar Ra’am, the Joint List, and candidates Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh from the Oct 27 Knesset election.
The bans threaten representation of over 1.25 million Palestinian citizens and are portrayed as attempts to silence dissent ahead of the vote.
That 31-4 vote broke a decades-long chair-abstention tradition.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Abu Shehadeh’s article may endorse armed struggle.

Right

Jewish Democratic Rationale

Israel's Central Elections Committee barred the Joint List, Ra'am, Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh from the October 27 Knesset election.
Right-wing parties Likud, Otzma Yehudit and the Choosing Life Forum filed the petitions that triggered the Joint List and Ra'am exclusions.
The Joint List was disqualified by an 18-5 vote, with one member abstaining.
Justice Noam Sohlberg’s vote to disqualify Abu Shehadeh cited denial of Israel’s Jewish-democratic character, breaking chair neutrality.

History

Historical Context

In 2009 Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to bar Arab parties Balad and United Arab List–Ta'al, but the Supreme Court reversed the decision by an eight-to-one ruling. The pattern continued, and in 2024 the committee voted 31-4 to exclude Ra’am, the Joint List, Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh, echoing longstanding challenges to Arab representation.

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Silencing Palestinian Representation

Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to bar Ra’am, the Joint List, and candidates Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh from the Oct 27 Knesset election.
The bans threaten representation of over 1.25 million Palestinian citizens and are portrayed as attempts to silence dissent ahead of the vote.
That 31-4 vote broke a decades-long chair-abstention tradition.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said Abu Shehadeh’s article may endorse armed struggle.

1 / 3