Israel’s Central Elections Committee has moved to disqualify all Arab parties from participating in the upcoming national election scheduled for October 27. The committee voted this week to bar the three parties comprising the Joint List coalition, as well as the Islamist Ra’am party, which runs separately.

The committee cited allegations that the Joint List had expressed support for armed struggle against Israel. Similarly, Ra’am faced accusations of endorsing terrorism and rejecting Israel’s identity as a Jewish state. These disqualification petitions were submitted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, allied far-right groups, and an organization representing victims of terrorism.

If upheld, the ban would prevent approximately one million Israeli citizens, predominantly Arab, from having political representation in the election. The move also complicates the path to government formation, as polling data indicates that Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party may secure more parliamentary seats than Likud but may still require a coalition that includes Arab parties to form a majority.

The decision by the election committee, whose members are sitting lawmakers from the Knesset, extends to a personal disqualification of Sami Abu Shahadeh, chairman of the Balad party within the Joint List. Mr. Abu Shahadeh was banned after writing an article describing the October 7 massacre as “an important historic event militarily, politically and strategically.” He has denied calls for violence or terrorism, asserting the disqualification effort aims to marginalize Arab political representation.

Legal experts anticipate the Supreme Court will likely overturn the Central Elections Committee’s ruling, as it has with similar disqualification attempts in past elections. The case adds to longstanding tensions over the political participation of Arab parties in Israel’s electoral process and their role in government coalitions.