The Central Elections Board is expected to respond at least partially affirmatively to the request by the Likud and Herut parties to disqualify two Arab parties from running in the upcoming national election. Herut, headed by MK Michael Kleiner, reported that it had submitted samples of statements by the MKs in question that prove their opposition to Israel as a Jewish state. These include:
* Ahmed Tibi, who is running on the Hadash-Taal list, said in 1999, "We hold that the Jewish character of the State of Israel must be annulled."
* His party leader Muhammad Barakeh said in Nov. 2000, shortly after the outbreak of the Oslo War, "We welcome and admire this intifada, and we think this is the right response at the right time."
* A sample from MK Azmi Bishara (Balad): "Hizbullah won, and for the first time since 1967 we have tasted the taste of victory."
MK Michael Eitan (Likud) said this morning that Tibi "always says he is against terrorism, but then says that killing Jewish civilians in Judea and Samaria, or IDF soldiers, is a part of 'legitimate struggle.'" Tibi said in response that he expects the Supreme Court to overturn his expected disqualification.
Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein added some goodies of his own against MK Azmi Bishara. Rubenstein said that Bishara told Hamas leaders in Hevron two years ago that he is "fighting the same war against Israel" as they are, and that Bishara had called upon Israeli-Arabs to form an army. "The main objectives of [Bishara's party] Balad are to negate the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, and to support the terrorist organizations' armed struggle against Israel," Rubenstein said today. He further noted that Bishara had advised Yasser Arafat to establish a united front with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, promising that Israeli-Arabs would stand by his side as "another front against Israel." Bishara denies having made these remarks.
Another request for disqualification was submitted by Labor against the #2 man on the Herut list, Baruch Marzel of Hevron. MK Effie Oshaya, Labor's Knesset faction head, told Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson today that Labor is not in favor of disqualifying entire lists - "let the voting public decide" - but that individual names on party lists is a different matter. Asked why Labor had not asked to disqualify Bishara or Tibi, Oshaya said, "Ask [Labor secretary-general MK] Ophir Pines - it's his decision." Aides to Pines, however, said that he was not involved, and that Amnon Loch, one of Labor's representatives on the Elections Board, should be contacted.
Loch, in turn, said that Labor's request to disqualify Marzel was based on a book the Hevron activist had written about Baruch Goldstein. He further said that he had not yet seen the material against Bishara and Tibi that the Attorney-General presented, but "I can tell you that last time, I voted to disqualify Bishara, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Court. I cannot tell you how I will vote this time."
The decisions as to whom to disqualify will be made next week by the Elections Board, a 42-member body presided over by Supreme Court Justice Michael Cheshin. Each political party has at least one representative on the board, with larger parties receiving more representatives.
* Ahmed Tibi, who is running on the Hadash-Taal list, said in 1999, "We hold that the Jewish character of the State of Israel must be annulled."
* His party leader Muhammad Barakeh said in Nov. 2000, shortly after the outbreak of the Oslo War, "We welcome and admire this intifada, and we think this is the right response at the right time."
* A sample from MK Azmi Bishara (Balad): "Hizbullah won, and for the first time since 1967 we have tasted the taste of victory."
MK Michael Eitan (Likud) said this morning that Tibi "always says he is against terrorism, but then says that killing Jewish civilians in Judea and Samaria, or IDF soldiers, is a part of 'legitimate struggle.'" Tibi said in response that he expects the Supreme Court to overturn his expected disqualification.
Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein added some goodies of his own against MK Azmi Bishara. Rubenstein said that Bishara told Hamas leaders in Hevron two years ago that he is "fighting the same war against Israel" as they are, and that Bishara had called upon Israeli-Arabs to form an army. "The main objectives of [Bishara's party] Balad are to negate the existence of Israel as a Jewish state, and to support the terrorist organizations' armed struggle against Israel," Rubenstein said today. He further noted that Bishara had advised Yasser Arafat to establish a united front with Hamas and Islamic Jihad, promising that Israeli-Arabs would stand by his side as "another front against Israel." Bishara denies having made these remarks.
Another request for disqualification was submitted by Labor against the #2 man on the Herut list, Baruch Marzel of Hevron. MK Effie Oshaya, Labor's Knesset faction head, told Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson today that Labor is not in favor of disqualifying entire lists - "let the voting public decide" - but that individual names on party lists is a different matter. Asked why Labor had not asked to disqualify Bishara or Tibi, Oshaya said, "Ask [Labor secretary-general MK] Ophir Pines - it's his decision." Aides to Pines, however, said that he was not involved, and that Amnon Loch, one of Labor's representatives on the Elections Board, should be contacted.
Loch, in turn, said that Labor's request to disqualify Marzel was based on a book the Hevron activist had written about Baruch Goldstein. He further said that he had not yet seen the material against Bishara and Tibi that the Attorney-General presented, but "I can tell you that last time, I voted to disqualify Bishara, but the decision was overturned by the Supreme Court. I cannot tell you how I will vote this time."
The decisions as to whom to disqualify will be made next week by the Elections Board, a 42-member body presided over by Supreme Court Justice Michael Cheshin. Each political party has at least one representative on the board, with larger parties receiving more representatives.