The Blue and White party is set to support a request seeking to disqualify MK Heba Yazbak, a member of the Balad faction of the Joint List, from running in the March 2 election, angering the Joint List which is warning of “implications”.
According to a report on Channel 12 News on Friday, MK Ofir Katz from the Likud plans to submit a formal request to the Central Election Committee to disqualify Yazbak on the grounds of her supporting terrorism.
The Yisrael Beytenu party said on Thursday it plans to submit a similar request calling to disqualify Yazbak, who has in the past expressed regret over the elimination of terrorist Samir Kuntar, who smashed the skull of four-year-old Einat Haran in the Nahariya terror attack in 1979.
Yazbak also praised terrorist Ravi Sultani, who was convicted of holding contacts with Hezbollah and of following Gabi Ashkenazi with the purpose of assassinating him.
Supreme Court President Justice Esther Hayut has hinted in the past that if the Court receives a request to disqualify Yazbak from running for the Knesset, the request may well be approved.
According to Channel 12 News, Blue and White intends to support MK Katz’s request to disqualify Yazbak, a move which would have a dramatic impact, as one quarter of the members of the Central Elections Committee are members of Blue and White.
The possibility that Blue and White would back the request has angered the Joint List, 10 of whose representatives (excluding the representatives of Yazbak’s Balad) recommended Benny Gantz as a candidate for forming the government following the election last September.
Just this past week, noted Channel 12 News, Joint List MK Ahmed Tibi rebuked MK Yoaz Hendel of Blue and White and warned him that, if he dares talk about annexing the Jordan Valley, "Gantz will remain the chairman of the opposition."
Asked about the possible disqualification of Yazbak, Tibi said that the Joint List “would view very severely” the support of Blue and White to disqualify her, though he did provide details on what that would mean.
(Arutz Sheva’s North American desk is keeping you updated until the start of Shabbat in New York. The time posted automatically on all Arutz Sheva articles, however, is Israeli time.)