Supreme Court allows Ofer Cassif, Ra'am, Joint List to run in 26th Knesset election

The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that MK Ofer Cassif, Ra'am, and the Joint List may run in the election for the 26th Knesset, overturning the Central Elections Committee's decisions to disqualify them.

At the same time, candidate Sami Abu Shehadeh announced that he was withdrawing his candidacy following the hearing, and the proceedings concerning him were dismissed.

The hearing was held on Thursday following four parallel proceedings brought before the Supreme Court: requests to approve the disqualification of two individual candidates, MK Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh, and appeals filed by the United Arab List (Ra'am) and the Joint List against the Elections Committee's decision to disqualify the two lists in their entirety.

In Cassif's case, the Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify him on the grounds of denying the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and supporting the armed struggle of an enemy state or terrorist organization.

By a 7-2 majority, the Supreme Court declined to approve the disqualification and ruled that Cassif may run.

Supreme Court rejects Cassif disqualification

All members of the judicial panel stressed that they disapproved of Cassif's statements and actions, which the court described as "revolting."

Nevertheless, the majority ruled that his actions and statements did not meet the stringent tests established in case law, and that the evidence had not reached the required "critical mass" needed to establish grounds for disqualification.

The two dissenting justices, David Mintz and Alex Stein, took the opposite view, holding that Cassif's conduct and statements established grounds for disqualification based on support for armed struggle against the state and therefore justified barring him from running.

Regarding the two lists that had been disqualified by the Central Elections Committee, Ra'am and the Joint List, the Supreme Court unanimously ruled in their favor and accepted their appeals.

The justices found that the material and evidence presented to the Central Elections Committee did not meet the narrow and stringent standards established in case law for barring an entire candidate list from participating in an election.

Sami Abu Shehadeh withdraws candidacy

Meanwhile, Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh announced on Friday that he was withdrawing his candidacy on behalf of the Joint List.

During the hearing, the justices made clear that there was "unanimity that the remarks made by Mr. Abu Shehadeh are painful, outrageous and nauseating."

The judges also indicated to the parties that the emerging outcome was that they would uphold the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify him.

The decision surprised many in Arab society and among Joint List activists, who believed Abu Shehadeh, Balad, and the Joint List should have insisted on a reasoned High Court ruling, particularly given that the proceedings had already reached such an advanced stage.