Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's inner circle is working to advance a strategic move designed to fully disqualify the United Arab List (Ra'am) from running in the upcoming election cycle, Channel 13 reported on Sunday.
According to the report, the goal is to lead to the designation of the party's parent movement, the Southern Faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel, as a terrorist organization. The decision's reasoning would be the transfer of donation funds to the Gaza Strip during the war.
The move, which is in its initial stages, comes amid the political uncertainty regarding the exact date of the elections.
Sources in Netanyahu's circle claim that during the war in Gaza, the movement transferred funds and aid to the enclave, deeming it, according to the sources, a body that supports and aids terrorist organizations during a war.
To implement the complex process, the political echelon will have to overcome several significant legal and security hurdles. Classifying the Southern Faction as a terror organization would demand legislative adjustments in the Knesset and a change of definitions in the Counterterrorism Law.
The move would also require official professional opinions from the relevant security bodies, particularly the Shin Bet.
Prime Minister Netanyahu's office did not comment on the report.