According to Labor party official MK Effie Oshaya, the party should be

worried over the possible disqualification of Arab parties and individuals

intending to run for Knesset seats in the January elections. The

qualifications of Arab parties and Knesset members, like Balad and its head

MK Azmi Bishara, to run in the coming Knesset elections are being challenged

before the Central Elections Committee, because the parties and Knesset

members in question challenge the Jewish character of the state and support

Arab terrorism against Israelis.





Oshaya warned that such disqualifications, which he believes likely, would

most likely result in a significant loss of support for Labor at the polls,

as Arab citizens will boycott the election altogether, as a sign of protest.

He also warned that further Arab-Jewish tension will likely lead to the

outbreak of an "Israeli Arab Intifada".





Regarding the candidacy of another member of Knesset, far-left

representative Yael Dayan, MK Shaul Yahalom (NRP) has asked the Central

Election Committee to disqualify her from running. According to Yahalom,

Dayan violated a Knesset law in resigning from the Labor party and joining

Meretz after she failed to win a top spot in the Labor primaries.





Another party, the Green Leaf party running on a platform of legalizing

marijuana and prostitution, was criticized recently by Police Chief Shlomo

Aharonishki. Today, Minister of Internal Security Dr. Uzi Landau reprimanded

the Chief for publicly expressing his views regarding political parties

legally seeking political office.