Jews out, Arabs in

Sheri Oz

Sheri Oz blogs at Israel Diaries.

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Two Jewish candidates for the Knesset have been banned by Israel's Supreme Court from running in September's elections. The arguments for their banning can be found in the Basic Law: The Knesset, in which it is written:

“A candidates' list shall not participate in elections to the Knesset, and a person shall not be a candidate for election to the Knesset, if the objects or actions of the list or the actions of the person, expressly or by implication, include one of the following:

1. Negation of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state;

2. Incitement to racism;

3. support of armed struggle, by a hostile state or a terrorist organization, against the State of Israel.”

It is on the basis of point 2 above that Benzi Gopstein and Baruch Marzel of the Otzma Yehudit party have been stripped from their party's candidate roster. Both were judged to have repeatedly made racist comments regarding Israeli Arabs. Gopstein founded the Lehava organization, which opposes interfaith and inter-ethnic marriages for halakhic reasons. 

The Election Committee voted against banning them, but the Supreme Court, supported by the Attorney General, overruled that decision..

Attempts were made to ban the Joint List, an amalgam of four of the largest Arab parties, from running as well. It is harder to ban an entire party than individuals and specific candidates should have been named in the petition to the court on this matter, the Chief Supreme Court Justice said in explanation.

For example, tale Heba Yazbak, who praised the terrorist Samir Kuntar (then 16 YO), who abducted a father and his 4 year-old daughter from their apartment in Nahariya and then murdered them on the beach with a shocking brutality. Should Yazbak be in the Israeli legislature?

Why we have to see Ahmad Tibi continue to walk the halls of the legislature is incomprehensible. Here is an example of what is undeniably consistent with point 3 above (support of armed struggle against the State of Israel): 

Martyrs are "height of glory," their "blood opens path to liberty," says Israeli Arab MP Tibi