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Israel’s Democrats challenge Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party
Israel’s Democrats Party, led by Yair Golan, petitioned the National Elections Committee to bar Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party from contesting the parliamentary elections on October 27. The petition cited harm to democracy and incitement to racism, while the committee has not yet announced its decision.
Israel’s opposition Democrats Party has petitioned the National Elections Committee to remove the Jewish Power party, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, from the parliamentary election race.
The objection submitted by the party, led by Yair Golan, on Monday cited harm to democracy and incitement to racism.
Grounds for the objection
The Democrats Party argued that Kahanist representatives in the Knesset have used their political power and immunity to undermine the rule of law.
The petition also alleged that these representatives had failed to comply with judicial decisions, refused to recognize the powers of the Supreme Court, harmed state security and incited violent racism.
The National Elections Committee will issue a decision after reviewing the objections submitted to it. No final decision has yet been announced on the request to bar the Jewish Power party from the elections.
Ben-Gvir’s statement
Ben-Gvir said that Yair Golan was trying to prevent him from running in the Knesset elections.
Accusing the Democrats Party of antisemitism and hostility toward Israel, Ben-Gvir alleged that Golan had said Israeli soldiers killed children as a hobby.
Election timetable
Knesset elections in Israel will be held on October 27. The deadline for parties and alliances to submit their candidate lists expired last week, and the National Elections Committee has begun reviewing the lists and objections to them.
A total of 38 candidate lists were submitted to the committee. Opinion polls indicate that 13 of them could enter the 120-seat parliament.
Objections to candidate lists may be filed until September 15. The lists or candidates facing objections will have until September 18 to respond.
If the committee bars a candidate from participating in the election, the decision will be sent to the Supreme Court for approval. The Supreme Court’s ruling on the matter will be final and cannot be appealed.
The final candidate lists are expected to be published in the Official Gazette no later than nine days before the elections, by October 18.
Israel’s political landscape ahead of the election
The government led by Benjamin Netanyahu has governed Israel since late 2022 and is described as the most extreme government in the country’s history.
Opinion polls show that Netanyahu’s electoral alliance and the Likud party have lost support, while the opposition has gained strength.
The opposition argues that Netanyahu is seeking to escalate military tensions in multiple areas to satisfy far-right parties ahead of the elections.
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