Ra’am, the Joint List, Balad, and two Joint List candidates have submitted responses to the Central Elections Committee (CEC) opposing six challenges aimed at barring their participation in the upcoming election for Israel’s 26th Knesset. The responses were filed on Friday by the legal group Adalah on behalf of the parties and candidates involved, including MK Ofer Cassif and former MK Sami Abu Shehadeh. No disqualifications have been made, as the committee must first hold hearings and vote on the petitions.

The current bids reflect evolving political alliances among four main groups. Ra’am, the Hebrew acronym for the United Arab List, is running independently this cycle, while the Joint List now comprises Hadash, Ta’al, and Balad. Originally, all four operated together as the Joint List since the 2015 election. Ra’am separated in 2021, and the coalition fragmented further in 2022, when Hadash and Ta’al ran jointly and Balad ran alone. Balad rejoined the coalition for the 2026 race, resulting in the two separate lists now facing challenges: Ra’am and the reconstituted Joint List.

One notable bid to disqualify Balad was submitted by the Orot Hasharon party, which requested the committee bar Balad itself, despite its inclusion on the Joint List. Balad has argued that Israeli election law permits disqualification of an entire slate or an individual candidate but not a constituent party within a joint list. Should the committee accept this interpretation, it might reject the request without assessing the underlying allegations.

The legal grounds cited in the petitions are based on the Basic Law: The Knesset, which allows barring a list or candidate for rejecting Israel’s status as a Jewish and democratic state, inciting racism, or supporting armed conflict against Israel by enemy states or terrorist organizations. The Supreme Court has set strict evidentiary standards for such disqualifications, requiring clear demonstration that the prohibited stance is central to the list or candidate, ruling out decisions based on isolated statements or acts.

Three of the six petitions target Ra’am specifically, lodged by Otzma Yehudit, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Likud, and the Choosing Life forum. These requests overlap but vary in detail. They allege ties between Ra’am, the southern branch of the Islamic Movement, the Muslim Brotherhood, and three nonprofits—Aid 48, the Humanitarian Deeds Association, and the Al-Aqsa Association—suggesting that donations linked to Ra’am may have ultimately supported Hamas-affiliated groups. The complainants reference a July 2025 report by the Justice Ministry’s Registrar of Associations and court documents related to bank accounts.

Ra’am denies having any formal or organizational connections with these nonprofits and rejects claims of supporting armed struggle by Hamas or other groups. The party highlights that no officials involved have been investigated for terror financing. It further notes that similar allegations were dismissed in 2022 following a unanimous CEC vote, which considered an attorney-general submission and a Shin Bet review. While the petitioners assert newly released information changes the case, Ra’am contends this material remains unrelated to the party itself. Chairman Mansour Abbas has condemned the October 7 attacks and engaged with hostage families in efforts to secure their release.

Likud has also petitioned to disqualify the entire Joint List and Ofer Cassif, citing party platforms, proposed legislation, public statements, and Cassif's political activity abroad. The Joint List counters that much of the evidence is outdated or misrepresented and reiterates that the Balad platform quoted by Likud no longer reflects current positions. Likud alleges Cassif’s criticisms of Israel during the recent conflict and his overseas activities amount to support for enemy armed struggle, describing them as “assisting the enemy in wartime.” However, Cassif has not faced charges on this basis and maintains that he condemned Hamas’s attack and opposes violence as a political tactic.

A separate petition by Otzma Yehudit and Ben-Gvir targets Balad chairman and Joint List candidate Sami Abu Shehadeh over an Arabic-language article he authored on October 8, 2023. In it, he referred to the Hamas attack as an “important historic event” with military and strategic implications and suggested lessons could be drawn from Gaza’s success in surprising Israel. Abu Shehadeh has stated the article was an analytical commentary on the attack’s political ramifications rather than an endorsement of violence or civilian casualties. He said this weekend he would not have published the piece had he known the full extent of the atrocities and denies supporting the massacre or political violence.

The CEC, chaired by Justice Noam Sohlberg and composed of Knesset faction representatives, will hear the arguments before voting. Disqualification decisions involving individual candidates require Supreme Court confirmation, and rulings on entire candidate lists can be appealed to the high court. The committee’s determinations are expected in the coming weeks as preparations for the election continue.