Full Breakdown
Otzma Yehudit’s Disqualification Challenge and 2026 Election Campaign
By Drooid · · How we work
Core Event: Disqualification Applications Rejected
The Central Elections Committee voted to reject two petitions to bar Otzma Yehudit from the 26th Knesset election on October 27. Nineteen members opposed the disqualification, ten supported it and one abstained. The same session also disqualified Ra’am and the Joint List (18-5) and a Joint List candidate, Ofer Cassif (19-5), despite the Attorney-General’s view that the evidence was insufficient.
Background & Context
Otzma Yehudit, founded in 2012 and rooted in the Kahane-inspired movement, is regarded as Israel’s far-right party. In 2022 it ran on a joint list with the Religious Zionist Party and Noam, winning six of the alliance’s 14 seats. For 2026 it is running independently after National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir rejected Prime Minister Netanyahu’s invitation to reunite with the Religious Zionist Party.
The party’s platform emphasizes a hard-line security stance, opposition to a Palestinian state, expanded powers for security forces, and “Jewish national sovereignty.” It helped sponsor the March 2026 death-penalty-for-terrorists law (62-48); no executions have yet occurred.
Data & Statistics
- Polling: Otzma Yehudit is projected at 8–10 seats.
- 2022 joint-list result: 14 seats total, with six for Otzma Yehudit.
- Disqualification votes: 19-10-1 (Otzma Yehudit); 18-5 (Ra’am and Joint List); 19-5 (Joint List candidate Ofer Cassif); 31-4 (The Democrats).
- “Disengagement 710” plan: proposes 250,000 voluntary departures from Gaza in the first year and 1.86 million over seven years.
Official Statements & Responses
- Itamar Ben-Gvir said the Democrats’ petitions aim to “eliminate” him politically and vowed to continue the campaign.
- Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara called the evidence “highly troubling” but insufficient for disqualification under Section 7A of the Basic Law. She noted most statements attributed to Ben-Gvir were older and already examined by the Supreme Court; newer remarks were “troubling” but not disqualifying.
- Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg, also Deputy Supreme Court President, joined the vote rejecting the Democrats’ own disqualification request (31-4).
- The Attorney-General’s Office opposed the disqualification of Ra’am and the Joint List, arguing the evidence did not meet the legal standard.
Criticism & Opposition
The Democrats and the Zulat Institute for Equality and Human Rights, with several former senior officials, filed the petitions, alleging that Otzma Yehudit’s platform denies Israel’s democratic character and incites racism. Accusations include undermining the rule of law and incitement against Arab citizens, citing alleged links to the outlawed Kach movement and support for a convicted extremist linked to the 2015 Duma arson attack. Otzma Yehudit rejected the claims as politically motivated.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
The Attorney-General’s representative emphasized that while many of Ben-Gvir’s statements have been reviewed, the “newer remarks” cited remain untested in court. No definitive legal determination has been made on whether the party’s conduct crosses the Section 7A threshold, leaving the issue unresolved pending possible appeals.
What’s Next
- September 7, 2026: Otzma Yehudit will submit its party list to the Central Elections Committee.
- September 2, 2026: Campaign posters appeared at Jerusalem’s Mahane Yehuda Market.
- September 18, 2026: Ben-Gvir is slated to tour Tel Aviv’s Hatikva market as part of the election push.
- October 27: The 26th Knesset election will be held, with Otzma Yehudit seeking an independent right-wing presence.