Story perspectives

Supreme Court expected to overturn 18-5 election ban

By Drooid · Sep 29, 2026, 8:03 AM UTC · How we work

Summary

Story summary

Central Elections Committee voted 18-5 to bar the Joint List and Ra’am from the October 27 election.
The committee is controlled by the governing right-wing coalition.
The Supreme Court is expected to overturn the bans, having overturned similar ones in 2019 and 2022.
Polls give the Joint List seven seats and Ra’am five seats.
Only Meir Kahane’s party has ever been successfully barred.

History

Historical Context

Israel’s Supreme Court reversed a 2019 ban on the United Arab List (Ra’am) and Balad, restoring ten Knesset seats after Justice Esther Hayut cited the Basic Law on the Knesset. In September 2026 the Central Elections Committee voted 18-5 to bar Ra’am, echoing the earlier right-wing push, and the pending court review could again preserve the party’s projected twelve seats.

1 of 2

Story summary

Central Elections Committee voted 18-5 to bar the Joint List and Ra’am from the October 27 election.
The committee is controlled by the governing right-wing coalition.
The Supreme Court is expected to overturn the bans, having overturned similar ones in 2019 and 2022.
Polls give the Joint List seven seats and Ra’am five seats.
Only Meir Kahane’s party has ever been successfully barred.

1 / 2