Israel bans Arab parties from running in upcoming elections

[bobalot]

Israel bans Arab parties from running in upcoming elections
By Shahar Ilan and Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz Correspondents and The Associated Press
Tags: Arab, elections, Israel news

The Central Elections Committee (CEC) yesterday banned the Arab parties United Arab List-Ta'al and Balad from running in next month's parliamentary elections amid accusations of racism from Arab MKs. Both parties intend to challenge the decision in the Supreme Court.

Members of the CEC conceded yesterday that the chance of the Supreme Court's upholding the ban on both parties was slim.

Arab faction delegates in the CEC walked out of the hall before the vote, shouting, "this is a fascist, racist state." As they walked out, CEC deputy chairman MK David Tal (Kadima) and the Arab delegates pushed each other and a Knesset guard had to intervene and separate them.
The CEC voted overwhelmingly in favor of the motions, accusing the country's Arab parties of incitement, supporting terrorist groups and refusing to recognize Israel's right to exist.

The requests to ban the Arab parties were filed by two ultra right parties Yisrael Beiteinu and National Union-National Religious Party.

Senior Labor Party figures lashed out at the party's CEC representative, Eitan Cabel, who voted in favor of banning the two Arab parties.

"[MK] Shelly Yachimovich and I thought we must object to the move to ban the Arab lists for reasons of freedom of expression," said Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog. "The minority's right to be heard must be preserved," he said.

MK Ophir Pines (Labor) said from overseas that he strongly objected to Labor's stance in the vote and that it was not the position that had been agreed on.

Labor chairman Ehud Barak, however, did not comment on the vote and his aides said he would not deal with political issues these days.

Cabel tried to explain his support of the ban, despite Labor's decision to vote against it.

"It's true we said we wouldn't ban, but [Balad leader MK Jamal] Zahalka's statement that he was in touch with Bishara led me to think that we must draw the line somewhere," he said. "I'm making no apologies because I fight more than most in the Knesset for equal rights for Arabs. I know it won't stand up in the Supreme Court, and rightly so, because there is no evidentiary basis for the [committee's] decision."

Members of the the new Meretz alignment reacted angrily to the decision.

"Labor and Kadima's position is a declaration of war on Israel's Arab citizens," a party member said. "Do Barak and Livni really prefer blocking Israel's Arabs' right to parliamentary activity and driving them to street demonstrations?"

"Every time a clear statement to ensure basic civil rights of the Arab minority is required, Labor and Kadima choose to side with the radical right wing for populist motives, to deprive the Arabs of their fundamental democratic rights," party chairman Haim Oron said.

Arab lawmakers Ahmed Tibi and Zahalka, political rivals who head the two Arab blocs in the Knesset, joined together in condemning yesterday's decision.

"It was a political trial led by a group of fascists and racists who are willing to see the Knesset without Arabs and want to see the country without Arabs," said Tibi.

This seems like a PR disaster, if the guy reckons the Supreme court will strike it down, then what purpose did this exactly serve?

[Teebs]

This seems like a PR disaster, if the guy reckons the Supreme court will strike it down, then what purpose did this exactly serve?

It makes a statement to the more rightwing Israeli voters.

[Kanastrous]

Political grandstanding.

[Illuminatus Primus]

"We have to protect the only democracy in the Middle East."

[Coyote]

Very stupid move on their part; certainly doesn't help the PR problem with the whole "apartheid" angle people push.

Besides, if the Arab citizens are made to feel thay no longer have any political recourse to address grievances, why bother to assemble peaceably? May as well have riots since at least that way they'll be heard.

[Tiriol]

Did the committee think even for one tiny little minute just HOW this act would be perceived? Never mind that it is rascist, but the fact that just about every dictatorship and/or extremist movement has done/has tried to do so with various levels of success and spread.

Some people in Israel apparently do care about international PR, although in a negative way. As in "actively try to piss off the collective international community, since it works so well for Mugabe and pals!"

[ray245]

Can't the US just cut aid to Israel and be done with it?

[Kanastrous]

Simple answer: no.

[ray245]

Simple answer: no.

I'm not talking from a practical standpoint.

[Kanastrous]

Is there some other standpoint worth considering?

[ray245]

Is there some other standpoint worth considering?

Ideological standpoint perhaps?

[General Zod]

Is there some other standpoint worth considering?

Ideological standpoint perhaps?

Cut off aid to one of the only allies the US has in the Middle East that's on fairly good terms other than "contemptible tolerance"? Yeah, that's a real smart move.

[Shroom Man 777]

Is there some other standpoint worth considering?

Ideological standpoint perhaps?

Some ideological standpoints would suggest something involving trains, ovens, and gas chambers. Ideological standpoints mean bunk in light of practical ones, mang.

The best thing the USA can do is to write an Angry Letter to Israel.

[Kanastrous]

Don't forget the finger-wagging.

America can be plain vicious, when it comes to the finger-wagging.

[MKSheppard]

Makes sense.

This delisting was done under Section 7A of Israeli Basic Law:

The Knesset, under which ‘a candidates’ list shall not participate in elections to the Knesset if its objectives or actions, expressly or by implication, include one of the following: (1) negation of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state; (2) incitement to racism; (3) support of an armed struggle against Israel by supporting an enemy state or a terrorist organization.

Which you know, makes sense; you only need to look at some of the regulations we've got in our Civil Service system dating back to the Civil War.

[Illuminatus Primus]

As if neutrality in Civil Service is the same thing as muzzling political dissent, Shep? Furthermore, the laughable combination between "State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state" and "incitement to racism" make me laugh my ass off. And what if non-Jews naturally outproduce Jews in Israel? What goes first? The Jewish or the democratic?

[eyl]

As if neutrality in Civil Service is the same thing as muzzling political dissent, Shep? Furthermore, the laughable combination between "State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state" and "incitement to racism" make me laugh my ass off. And what if non-Jews naturally outproduce Jews in Israel? What goes first? The Jewish or the democratic?

It's not quite innocuous as you're making out. While I think this move was idiotic, the three parties involved tend to be just a few steps shy of acting like PA representatives in Israel (sometimes I entertain the thought that they're right-wing agents provocateur - some of their stateents couldn't be more detrimental to Jewish/Arab coexistence, not to mention Arab integration in Israel, if they were calculated to do so); it's gotten so bad that there are Israeli Arabs who've complained that those MKs are paying more attention to the Palestinians' problems than to their own constituents'.

[Uraniun235]

Is there some other standpoint worth considering?

Ideological standpoint perhaps?

US support of Israel is already based on ideological motivations.

[Sarevok]

It's not quite innocuous as you're making out. While I think this move was idiotic, the three parties involved tend to be just a few steps shy of acting like PA representatives in Israel (sometimes I entertain the thought that they're right-wing agents provocateur - some of their stateents couldn't be more detrimental to Jewish/Arab coexistence, not to mention Arab integration in Israel, if they were calculated to do so); it's gotten so bad that there are Israeli Arabs who've complained that those MKs are paying more attention to the Palestinians' problems than to their own constituents'.

From the article it seems like the banned political groups were extremists who were trying to stir up ideas like "the jews are going to turn israeli arabs into 2nd class citizens as beginning of some final solution conspiracy". Would this be a correct assessment ?

[Chris OFarrell]

So, when do we get to all the Arabs in Israel being forced to wear golden crescents of Islam?

[eyl]

From the article it seems like the banned political groups were extremists who were trying to stir up ideas like "the jews are going to turn israeli arabs into 2nd class citizens as beginning of some final solution conspiracy". Would this be a correct assessment ?

Well, they're not quite that blatent, though IIRC some of them have edged toward that idea.

To give an example of what I was talking about, consider the following: in Israel, military service is compulsory except for certain sectors, one of which are the Israeli Arabs. This has lead to problems, since such service is considered very important to integration in mainstream life - on the other hand, there are some fairly obvious reasons why a compulsory draft would not be a good idea (though they can volunteer). A couple of years ago, the option of alternative (non-military) service was opened to Arab youth. Perhaps the biggest opponents to it were the Arab leadership, on the grounds that it would "cause the "Israelization" of Arab youth at the expense of their Palestinian Arab identity" - and one of the Balad MKs went so far as to threaten to ostracize anyone who participated.

[MKSheppard]

From an aggregation of news sources:

Balad was disqualified by a vote of 26 to three, with one abstention, while 21 committee members voted in favor of disqualifying the United Arab List-Ta'al, with eight members voting against and two members abstaining. The Central Elections Committee is comprised of members of all party factions.

The two Arab parties would be the first parties to be banned since Rabbi Meir Kahane's Kach party in the 1980s, which advocated expelling Arabs from Israel.

[Garlak]

Hmmm... Let's try to put ourselves in Israel's shoes. What would we do if we were in such a situation?


Let's say that 60 years after the USA became independent, a pro-British party started to form... That would not have gone over well. In fact, one of the requirements for POTUS is being born in this country; Schwarzenegger can't run for President. Is that truly Democratic? At the time when that requirement was put in place, the concern was that of a foreigner, who did not have the country's best interests at heart, becoming president.


On the next issue my knowledge is a bit shaky, but... isn't it illegal to be part of he Nazi or Communist party in the US?


Think on this. Would you expect a country to allow people they practically view as enemies, or so closely tied to their enemies, form a political bloc?

[starslayer]

On the next issue my knowledge is a bit shaky, but... isn't it illegal to be part of he Nazi or Communist party in the US?

Nazis, yes. Communists, no, not even during the height of McCarthyism or the Red Scare, IIRC; certainly not now.

[Drooling Iguana]

Let's say that 60 years after the USA became independent, a pro-British party started to form... That would not have gone over well.

If a significant number of people wanted to resume ties with Britain, why shouldn't they get representation? Democracy means that even people you don't like get their say.

Think on this. Would you expect a country to allow people they practically view as enemies, or so closely tied to their enemies, form a political bloc?

Many Americans associate liberals with terrorists. Should the USA ban all left-leaning politicians?