Israel panel votes to bar both main Arab lists from October election

Israel's election committee has voted to disqualify the two main Arab lists from the October 27 ballot, with appeals pending at the Supreme Court.

• The committee voted 18–5 to exclude Ra'am and the Joint List, and separately barred legislators Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh.
• Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara opposed both list exclusions, saying the evidence did not meet the legal threshold under Section 7A of the Basic Law.
• Adalah, the legal centre representing the parties, said it will challenge the votes when the Supreme Court hears the cases next week.
• Ra'am called its exclusion "political and unacceptable," saying it aimed to prevent the party from influencing the balance of power.
• Arab parties accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of seeking to weaken Arab political influence and block a change of government.