Israel's Supreme Court overturns the Central Elections Committee's ban on two Arab party lists
13 October 2026
On 2 October 2026 Israel's Supreme Court overturned the Central Elections Committee's disqualification of the two main Arab-majority lists, Ra'am (the United Arab List) and the Joint List, an alliance of Hadash, Ta'al and Balad.
Al Jazeera reports that the justices ruled unanimously on the two lists.
The court also voted 7-2 to reinstate Ofer Cassif, a Hadash member of the Knesset; two of the nine justices opposed that decision.
Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew from the race after the court told him that a majority of the nine justices favoured disqualifying him.
Deutsche Welle explains that under Israel's Basic Law a candidate or party can be barred for negating the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, for incitement to racism, or for support for armed struggle by a hostile state or a terrorist organisation.
Arab citizens make up around one fifth of Israel's population; the Knesset election is on 27 October 2026.
In plain words
Central Elections Committee the panel that decides whether lists and candidates may stand in Knesset elections — Its disqualification of two Arab lists was overturned by the Supreme Court.
Joint List an alliance of the Hadash, Ta'al and Balad parties — It is one of the two Arab-majority lists the court allowed to run.
Basic Law a law of constitutional character passed by the Knesset — It sets the grounds on which a candidate or party can be barred from a Knesset election.