Story perspectives

Israel’s Supreme Court allows four Arab parties to run

By Drooid · Oct 2, 2026, 10:52 PM UTC · How we work

Summary

Supreme Court Election Rulings

Israel's Supreme Court allowed four Arab parties to run in the Oct 27 election, overturning the CEC's 18-to-5 vote.
The court reinstated Hadash lawmaker Ofer Cassif to the Knesset.
The court upheld the exclusion of Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh.
Arab citizens comprise about one-fifth of Israel and polls project roughly twelve seats for their parties.
Ra'am, led by Mansur Abbas, holds five seats and could become kingmaker if no bloc reaches 61.

Summary

Court Rejects Disqualification

The court said the evidence failed to reach the ‘critical mass’ required for party disqualification.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir filed the petition and labeled Abu Shehadeh a terrorism supporter.
Justices David Mintz and Alex Stein dissented, arguing Cassif’s statements warranted disqualification.
Human-rights group Adalah condemned the disqualification attempts as based on outdated, irrelevant evidence.
Analyst Mairav Zonszein called the move a dangerous precedent, noting Ra’am’s inclusion of a Jewish candidate.

History

Historical Context

In 2003 the Israeli Supreme Court barred the extremist Kach and Kahane Chai parties, invoking the Basic Law: The Knesset to protect democratic order. The 7-2 ruling, authored by Justice Aharon Barak, cited the parties’ violent ideology and denied them the 120-seat Knesset threshold. The 2024 ruling, rejecting Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s disqualification petition and drawing dissent from Justices David Mintz and Alex Stein, echoes the 2003 standard. Consequently, Arab parties like Ra’am, led by Mansur Abbas, retain parliamentary influence, preserving a precedent that party bans require concrete evidence, shaping Israel’s coalition dynamics.

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Supreme Court Election Rulings

Israel's Supreme Court allowed four Arab parties to run in the Oct 27 election, overturning the CEC's 18-to-5 vote.
The court reinstated Hadash lawmaker Ofer Cassif to the Knesset.
The court upheld the exclusion of Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh.
Arab citizens comprise about one-fifth of Israel and polls project roughly twelve seats for their parties.
Ra'am, led by Mansur Abbas, holds five seats and could become kingmaker if no bloc reaches 61.

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