The Choosing Life Forum, which represents bereaved families and victims of terrorist attacks, filed a petition with the Central Elections Committee on Monday requesting that the Ra’am party be disqualified from running for the Knesset.
The petition, filed through attorney Yitzhak Bam, is based on new evidence compiled as part of an extensive study spanning more than 1,000 pages.
Unlike previous proceedings on the issue, the current petition relies on official findings and authoritative determinations by law enforcement and judicial authorities, including the Registrar of Associations, the National Bureau for Counter Terror Financing, the State Attorney’s Office, and the courts.
The petition’s central argument consists of three elements. The first relies on an admission made by Ra’am in previous legal proceedings that it has served as the Islamic Movement’s official representation in the Knesset since the party’s establishment.
The second presents a lengthy series of pieces of evidence which, according to the petition, demonstrate that Ra’am, the Islamic Movement, and its operational arms - the Aid 48, Al-Aqsa, and Humanitarian Deeds associations - operate as a single entity.
Among the evidence cited are overlapping officeholders, the use of Aid 48’s offices to conduct coalition negotiations, and dozens of official party publications soliciting donations.
The third element focuses on findings by state authorities regarding the destination of the funds. According to a report by the Registrar of Associations, Aid 48 transferred nearly two million shekels to the Islamic Charitable Society in Hebron, an organization that was designated a terrorist organization in 2002.
In addition, 933,000 shekels were transferred to the Khair Ummah association, which, according to indictments filed by the State Attorney’s Office, is operated by Hamas activists and is affiliated with the terrorist organization. The petition also cites transfers totaling tens of millions of shekels for which there was allegedly no oversight protocol or details identifying the beneficiaries.
Regarding public advocacy, the petition documents 50 publications soliciting donations and 70 publications promoting the associations over approximately a decade, 59 of which were posted on Ra’am’s official pages.
Among other examples, the petition notes that on October 10, 2023, just three days after the outbreak of the massacre in southern Israel, the party published an official appeal calling on the public to donate to Aid 48’s bank account.
Alongside the claim that the party supports an armed struggle, the petition also alleges incitement to racism, citing 35 publications and statements.
These include official party declarations stating that the Temple Mount belongs exclusively to Muslims and that there is no place for Jewish prayer there, as well as coalition demands to prevent Jewish worship at the site and statements by senior party officials denying the Jewish people’s connection to the Temple Mount.
The Choosing Life Forum stated: “Four years ago, claims that money was being transferred to terrorist organizations were treated as a conspiracy theory. Since then, state authorities and the courts have determined that the money was indeed transferred and that the organizations receiving it are designated organizations or organizations affiliated with Hamas.
“The State of Israel after October 7 cannot continue to close its eyes. A party that raises money for associations that transfer it to organizations connected to Hamas cannot receive immunity and run for the Israeli Knesset. We call on all Zionist parties to study the investigation in depth and vote to disqualify Ra’am."
Attorney Yitzhak Bam, who represents the forum, added: “Behind Ra’am’s moderate facade lies full-fledged support for Hamas. Anyone who collects money for ‘charity’ and transfers it to Hamas associations cannot be a legitimate player in Israeli politics and cannot sit in the Knesset.
“We demand that the Central Elections Committee disqualify those who assist Hamas not only with words, but also - and above all - through their actions. The Islamic Movement and its political arm, Ra’am, support terrorism and, as such, should be outside the Knesset."