A special eleven-Justice panel of the High Court of Justice has begun hearings today in the appeals of Election Committee decisions to disqualify of Shaul Mofaz, Ahmed Tibi, Azmi Bishara, and Moshe Feiglin from running in the upcoming general elections. The court will also deal with a request to overturn a committee decision allowing Baruch Marzel, of the Herut list, to stand for election. The politically-charged cases have drawn several groups of protesters to the courthouse.
Hundreds of left wing Israelis, Arabs and Jews from Haifa, demonstrated outside the Supreme Court in support of the Arab Knesset members disqualified by the Elections Committee. Other left-wing activists are calling on the court to overturn the decision allowing Baruch Marzel to run. Meanwhile, right wing groups, from the Manhigut Yehudit faction in the Likud and from the National Union party, have come to the courthouse to support the decision to disqualify Bishara and Tibi, and to call for the reversal of the decision barring Manhigut leader Moshe Feiglin from running.
The appeal on behalf of Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who was disqualified from running for a Likud seat in the Knesset, was heard this morning. Mofaz was barred from becoming a Knesset member after the Election Committee determined that not enough time had passed between his military service as Chief of Staff and his entry into politics. If the decision is not reversed, Mofaz would still be able to serve in the government, but not in the Knesset.
Also heard today was the appeal of Moshe Feiglin. He was disqualified from the Likud list when the Election Committee ruled that Feiglin’s past conviction, on sedition charges, disqualifies him from running for public office for seven years. Feiglin's conviction relates to his actions as leader of the Zo Artzeinu organization, which led demonstrations and anti-government civil disobedience in opposition to then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Oslo Accords.
Due to the proximity of elections, the cases are expected to be have all been heard and a decision rendered by this Thursday.
Hundreds of left wing Israelis, Arabs and Jews from Haifa, demonstrated outside the Supreme Court in support of the Arab Knesset members disqualified by the Elections Committee. Other left-wing activists are calling on the court to overturn the decision allowing Baruch Marzel to run. Meanwhile, right wing groups, from the Manhigut Yehudit faction in the Likud and from the National Union party, have come to the courthouse to support the decision to disqualify Bishara and Tibi, and to call for the reversal of the decision barring Manhigut leader Moshe Feiglin from running.
The appeal on behalf of Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, who was disqualified from running for a Likud seat in the Knesset, was heard this morning. Mofaz was barred from becoming a Knesset member after the Election Committee determined that not enough time had passed between his military service as Chief of Staff and his entry into politics. If the decision is not reversed, Mofaz would still be able to serve in the government, but not in the Knesset.
Also heard today was the appeal of Moshe Feiglin. He was disqualified from the Likud list when the Election Committee ruled that Feiglin’s past conviction, on sedition charges, disqualifies him from running for public office for seven years. Feiglin's conviction relates to his actions as leader of the Zo Artzeinu organization, which led demonstrations and anti-government civil disobedience in opposition to then-Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and the Oslo Accords.
Due to the proximity of elections, the cases are expected to be have all been heard and a decision rendered by this Thursday.