Israel's Central Elections Committee has voted to disqualify the two main Arab political lists from the country's October 27 parliamentary election, a move that would leave Palestinian citizens of Israel — who make up roughly one fifth of the population — without their principal routes to representation in the Knesset, Israel's 120-seat parliament. The committee voted 18 to 5 to bar both Ra'am, the United Arab List led by Mansour Abbas, and the Joint List, an alliance of the Arab-led Hadash, Ta'al and Balad parties. The committee also voted separately to exclude Hadash legislator Ofer Cassif and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh. The bans are not yet final: lists and individual candidates can appeal to the Supreme Court, which is expected to hear the cases next week.

The petitions were filed under Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset, a provision that allows a party or candidate to be excluded for denying Israel's existence as a "Jewish and democratic state", inciting racism, or supporting armed struggle against Israel. Netanyahu's Likud party filed petitions against the Joint List and was among those targeting Ra'am; National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party sought the exclusion of Abu Shehadeh. The attorney general found no legal basis to exclude most of the targeted parties and candidates, though she said an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023 warranted serious examination. Ra'am described its exclusion as "political and unacceptable", while the Joint List called the move "political, racist and anti-democratic", saying the government fears the Arab parties' ability to tip the parliamentary balance. Both have pledged to challenge the decisions in court and through public protest.

The Supreme Court has previously set strict criteria for excluding parties and overturned bans on several Arab lists and candidates in 2019 and 2022, including Balad's exclusion. Adalah, the legal centre representing the parties, contests the factual basis of the petitions, arguing that the case against Ra'am presents no evidence of support for armed struggle and that the Joint List petition relies heavily on outdated material. Abu Shehadeh has denied any support for violence, saying: "I have never called for violence or terrorism. I oppose armed struggle."

The timing carries significant electoral weight. Polls project the Joint List winning seven Knesset seats and Ra'am five — a combined 12 seats that analysts say could prove decisive in a closely contested election where neither Netanyahu's bloc nor the main Zionist opposition is currently projected to reach the 61-seat threshold needed to form a government. Ra'am's inclusion in a coalition government in 2021 — the first time an Arab-Israeli party joined a governing coalition — demonstrated the potential leverage such parties can hold. Although mainstream opposition parties remain divided over whether to govern with Arab support, removing both lists would significantly narrow the possible parliamentary pathways to a majority, affecting not only Arab voters but the broader shape of any future government.

The elections committee is also due to consider petitions to bar several Jewish parties, including Ben-Gvir's Otzma Yehudit, the far-right Religious Zionism party of Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich, and the left-wing Democrats led by former general Yair Golan. The Supreme Court's ruling on the Arab parties will ultimately determine who appears on the October ballot and how meaningful a voice more than 1.25 million Palestinian citizens of Israel will have in shaping the next government.