The Zulat for Equality and Human Rights organization and five additional petitioners have submitted a request to the Central Elections Committee seeking to prevent Bezalel Smotrich, Moshe Feiglin and Zvi Sukkot from participating in the elections for the 26th Knesset, as well as to bar the Religious Zionism-Zehut slate from running.
The petitioners argue that the actions and statements of the three candidates, as well as the objectives or actions of the slate, meet what they claim are two grounds for disqualification: negation of the existence of the State of Israel as a democratic state and incitement to racism.
In addition to Zulat, the petitioners include Prof. Frances Raday, Moshe “Bogie" Ya’alon, Yael German, Omer Bar-Lev and Yoram Ben-Zeev. The request was submitted to the Central Elections Committee and its chairman, Supreme Court Deputy President Justice Noam Sohlberg.
A substantial portion of the petition focuses on Smotrich. The petitioners rely, among other things, on the “Decisive Plan" he published in 2017 and on additional statements attributed to him over the years. They argue that the cumulative record demonstrates an outlook that distinguishes between Jews and Palestinians regarding participation in national decision-making, alongside encouragement of emigration and denial of the legitimacy of Arab representation.
The petitioners emphasize that their request is not based on Smotrich being right-wing, his support for the settlement enterprise, his opposition to the two-state solution, or his support for applying Israeli sovereignty in Judea and Samaria.
Rather, they claim that there is a “consistent and ongoing pattern of statements, positions and public activity" that, in their view, goes beyond the boundaries of legitimate political disagreement.
Regarding Feiglin, the petitioners cite a series of past statements. Among them is a 2013 interview in which, according to the petition, Feiglin was asked whether Arabs are “the sons of the maidservant" and Jews “the sons of the master," and answered, “Yes." The petitioners view the statement as evidence supporting their claim that he holds a hierarchical view of different national groups.
The petition also refers to remarks published by Feiglin in 2024 under the title, “The Path to Victory: Conquest, Expulsion and Settlement." According to the document, Feiglin said at the time that “Gaza is a Hebrew city on the western coast of the Negev" and called for defining the objective of the war as “conquest, expulsion and settlement." The petitioners argue that these statements add to the body of evidence on which they base their disqualification request.
Regarding Zvi Sukkot, the petition argues that each statement should not be examined in isolation, but rather as part of a cumulative picture. The petitioners attribute to him a pattern of delegitimizing political opponents and the Palestinian population, alongside initiatives that they claim seek to restrict the boundaries of political participation for those he defines as supporters of terrorism.
Among other things, the petition refers to Sukkot’s activities in the Knesset. In December 2024, Sukkot advanced the proposed “Sanctions on Supporters of Terrorism" law, which passed its preliminary reading by a vote of 55 in favor to 10 opposed. The proposal sought to permit sanctions against officeholders in organizations that transfer funds linked to terrorism, including bans on entering Israel, the freezing or confiscation of property, and prohibitions on conducting transactions.
In addition, in 2026 Sukkot advanced a proposed Basic Law that would create a new ground for disqualification from elections for anyone who expresses support for an enemy state while it is engaged in armed conflict against Israel.
The petitioners base their request on previous Supreme Court rulings concerning Section 7A of the Basic Law: The Knesset. The petition itself notes that the Court has established a stringent threshold for disqualifying candidates and electoral slates, requiring, among other things, “clear, unequivocal and convincing" evidence and a “critical mass" of evidence.
In concluding the petition, the applicants argue that, in the cases of the three candidates and the slate, what they view as the required “critical mass" for disqualification has accumulated. They therefore ask the Central Elections Committee to prevent them from participating in the elections for the 26th Knesset.
MK Zvi Sukkot responded to the report: “The demand by Bogie Ya’alon and Omer Bar-Lev to disqualify me from running for the Knesset is the greatest compliment I could receive. While Ya’alon slanders IDF soldiers in the media, causing antisemitism and enormous damage to the image of the State of Israel around the world, I am working in the Knesset to prevent supporters of terrorism from being able to harm the State of Israel - through legislation against those who assist the enemy and support terrorism."
“Anyone who thinks he can stop me or silence the public by preventing its elected representatives from running for the Knesset has apparently become confused," Sukkot added.
It should be noted that the Central Elections Committee has already dismissed the request to personally disqualify Sukkot’s candidacy after determining that the preliminary requirement of signatures from one-third of the committee’s members had not been met. The committee did so without ruling on the merits of the allegations against him.
The request to disqualify the Religious Zionism slate itself remains under consideration.