Arab Joint List: Election disqualification request filed against us by 'Jewish Power' party is racist

15/08/2019

Adalah Director Hassan Jabareen to Central Elections Committee: I refuse to go in and start trying to convince racists why Arab should be equals.

Adalah – The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel represented the Arab Joint List in the 14 August 2019 Central Election Committee (CEC) hearing considering the request submitted by Attorney Itamar Ben Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit (“Jewish Power”) party to disqualify the Joint List from participating in Israel’s upcoming national parliamentary election.

The CEC considers requests to disqualify candidates and political parties from participating in Israel's national election, slated to be held on 17 September 2019.

Adalah General Director Hassan Jabareen speaking at the CEC hearing, 14 August 2019 (Video courtesy Knesset Channel)

A day prior, on 13 August 2019, Adalah issued a response to the disqualification request filed by Ben Gvir and Jewish Power, calling it motivated by racism.

Adalah General Director Attorney Hassan Jabareen wrote in that response that the request to disqualify the Joint List is rooted in racism and is not supported by the Basic Law: Knesset, which governs the disqualification of candidates and party lists.

Most of the evidence included with Ben Gvir’s and the Jewish Power party’s request had already been rejected by the Israeli Supreme Court when it was provided with previous attempts to disqualify the Joint List. The only new evidence is based on misrepresented facts and racist commentary that negate the demand of Arab elected officials for equal citizenship.

The Joint List called on the CEC to reject Ben Gvir’s and the Jewish Power’s disqualification request and to order them liable for court expenses.

Adalah General Director Attorney Hassan Jabareen explained to the CEC on 14 August 2019 that Adalah would only respond to the legal aspects of Ben Gvir-Jewish Power request:

"The problem is when a racist list submits a request for disqualification... My answer will only be legal. Not because I don't have a values-based answer, but rather I refuse to go in and start trying to convince racists why Arab should be equals".

Adalah General Director Hassan Jabareen speaking at the CEC hearing, 14 August 2019 (Photo: Ari Remez/Adalah)

CLICK HERE to read the full hearing protocol [Hebrew]

At the end of the hearing, the CEC voted 17 to 12 to deny the request to disqualify the Arab Joint List and to allow it to participate in the upcoming election.

CLICK HERE to read the CEC decision [Hebrew]