High Court panel hears appeals against Central Elections Committee bans on Arab Knesset slates

Hearings began at the High Court of Justice on Thursday over disqualification petitions against all Arab-Israeli representation in the Knesset: The Joint List, Ra’am, as well as Joint List candidates Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif.

The court is hearing these cases after the Central Elections Committee voted earlier this month to disqualify them from the election run, and all petitioned against it.

All the cases arise under Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset, which permits a candidate or list to be barred for rejecting Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, inciting racism, or supporting armed struggle by an enemy state or terrorist organization.

Case heard by nine-justice panel as protestors gather against Ben-Gvir

A nine-justice panel is hearing the case: Supreme Court President Isaac Amit, and Justices Dafna Barak-Erez, Yael Willner, Alex Stein, Khaled Kabub, David Mintz, Ofer Grosskopf, Gila Canfy-Steinitz and Yechiel Kasher.

Outside the courthouse, protesters shouted, “Fascism will not come here,” and “Ben-Gvir is a criminal.”