Supreme Court Allows Ra’am, Joint List and Ofer Cassif to Run in Election (Updated)
Updates
- October 2, 2026: Israel’s Supreme Court on Friday allowed Ra’am, the Joint List and MK Ofer Cassif to contest elections to the 26th Knesset, overturning Central Elections Committee disqualifications. The nine-justice panel unanimously reinstated both lists and approved Cassif’s candidacy by seven votes to two, with Justices David Mintz and Alex Stein dissenting. The majority found that the evidence did not meet the strict legal threshold required to disqualify Cassif or the lists. All nine justices condemned Cassif’s statements and actions; the dissenting judges considered his conduct sufficient to establish support for armed struggle against Israel.
Original report
The Central Elections Committee, chaired by Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, approved ballot letters for 38 candidate lists ahead of the October 27 Knesset election. Naftali Bennett's list received the designation Rak, while Itamar Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit retained Bet and Likud received Mahal. The committee listed Ra'am and the Joint List conditionally because its decisions to bar them remain subject to Supreme Court review. The assignments identify the lists on voting slips, but the court has not yet determined whether those two conditionally listed parties may run.
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