Arab lawmaker criticizes exclusion of Arab lists from Israeli election

Arab member of the Israeli Knesset Ayman Odeh on Thursday criticized the Central Elections Committee’s decision to bar Arab electoral lists from running in the Oct. 27 parliamentary election.

Israeli Army Radio quoted Odeh as saying: “All the Kahanists are allowed (to run the elections), but representatives of the Arab population are prohibited from competing.”

Palestinian citizens make up around 21% of Israel’s population of more than 10 million.

The term “Kahanism” refers to a far-right Israeli ideology associated with Meir Kahane, an Israeli-American rabbi and politician who founded a movement known for its extremist views.

On Wednesday, the Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify the Joint Arab List and the United Arab List, or Ra’am, as well as Knesset member Ofer Cassif and Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the election.

Critics of the decisions say the exclusions are part of efforts by Israel’s right wing to prevent Arab parties from influencing the formation of the next government, as polls show neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s governing bloc nor the opposition securing the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority.

By contrast, the Central Elections Committee on Thursday rejected a request to disqualify the far-right Otzma Yehudit party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Odeh expressed hope that Israel’s Supreme Court would overturn the disqualification decisions and allow the barred candidates and lists to contest the election.

Earlier Thursday, Cassif also criticized both the government and the opposition in a post on US social media company X following his disqualification.

“The Kahanists in both the government and the opposition are afraid of the power of our voice,” said Cassif, a lawmaker with the Joint Arab List.

“Our voice is the only one that offers a genuine alternative to racist, militaristic and bloodthirsty discourse,” he added.

Cassif is known for his opposition to the Netanyahu government’s policies toward Palestinians, particularly Israel’s genocide in Gaza since 2023.

The International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in 2024 over war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

Netanyahu has headed the current government since late December 2022. He is also standing trial on corruption charges, which he denies.