The plenum of the Central Election Commission, headed by Judge Uzi Vogelman, today (Wednesday) rejected the candidacy of number 7 on the job list Abtissam Maraana By a majority of 16 supporters against 15 opponents and 2 abstentions. The decision to disqualify her will go to the Supreme Court, which has previously made decisions of the committee.
The committee then discussed the request for disqualification of Jewish power against the joint list and the united Arab list. The Likud has announced that it will not participate in these discussions.
“The Likud decided not to participate in the discussion to disqualify the joint list and the unified list, due to the fact that the Arab citizens of Israel already know that the Arab lists do not represent them and they disappear automatically,” the Likud representative in the MK committee said. Shlomo Krai. “The Arab citizens of Israel are fed up with those who do not care for them.”
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The Likud party added: “The joint Abbas will not be in our government and we will not rely on them in any way because they are supporters of terrorism. In all elections the Likud votes against the joint list, Getz always prepares it and the joint uses the vote to strengthen and bring votes. This time the Likud will take the votes of Israeli citizens. The Arabs because they are tired of wasting their votes on parties that sit in opposition and do nothing for them. “
Jewish Power said in response to the Likud’s decision: “Members of the Likud Election Committee have now announced that they will abstain from voting on the disqualification of the joint list and RAAM. We can only regret that on the one hand the members of the Likud are presented as supporters of terrorism, and on the other hand they are actually preparing their candidacy for the Knesset. “
“There is clear evidence of support for terrorism in the attack on the Jewish state and racism,” the chairman of Jewish Power claimed during the hearing. Itamar Ben Gvir, Who filed the motion to disqualify the joint list. “The heart of the application here is contemporary evidence. Freedom of expression is not freedom of expression, it is impossible under its auspices to give a seal to the murderers.” During Ben Gvir’s speeches, confrontations and chants developed between him and my mutual friends who were present in the hall.
The representative of the joint list said at the hearing: “Seeks to dismiss Ben Gvir’s request outright because it is racist and is based on old evidence that has already been rejected in the Supreme Court. They do not meet the threshold test of evidence that must be clear and convincing. These are serial petitioners. “Common with a racist agenda is clear only to get the Arab Knesset members out without any evidentiary basis.”
Member of the joint list MK Ahmed Tibi He said in response to the disqualification hearings: “Ben Gvir wants to disqualify the joint on the grounds of racism. In another minute he will also accuse us of vandalizing symbols from the prime minister’s cars.”
MK Sundus Saleh She said: “This morning in Jerusalem, too, a social-economic crisis and a snowstorm do not stop the politicians from the right, from Ben Gvir to Shlomo Qara, from seeking the disqualification of the joint list, and undermining the legitimacy of the Arab public and its elected representatives.
Itamar Ben Gvir on the disqualification of Abtissam Mara’a from running in the elections (Photo: Jewish Power)
The decision to disqualify Marena will now go to the Supreme Court, which has previously reversed the commission’s decisions. The reasons for its rejection are “support for the armed struggle of a terrorist organization” and “denial of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.” As you may recall, last night the ombudsman announced Avichai Mandelblit Because he opposes all requests for disqualification.
After the rejection was approved, Ben Gvir said: “I welcome the sane and just decision of the Election Commission to disqualify the terrorist supporter from running for the Knesset. Anyone who wants to destroy a city and mother in Israel because Jews live there is racist and a clear supporter of terrorism. Hope justice is done and the Supreme Court upholds the decision. The Committee. “
Also MK Joaz Handel Welcomed the decision: “The decision of the Election Commission to disqualify Abtissam is correct. I am sorry that the Labor Party, which has its roots in the establishment and construction of the state, is being lost.”
Chairman of the Labor Party, MK Merav Michaeli, She said in the High Court: “We are continuing the same campaign of incitement that began in 1993 against Rabin to this very moment. There is no difference between what was done to her and what was done to Rabin. “
Abtissam Maraana and attorney Guy Bossi at a hearing in the Election Commission (Photo: Yossi Zamir, GPO)The marathon of hearings began with the opening remarks of the Chairman of the Electoral Commission Uzi Vogelman. “Today we are fulfilling one of the most sensitive roles that falls on the shoulders of the Election Commission,” Vogelman said. “Everyone knows that the members of the committee are elected on the basis of political affiliation, but the expectation is that each and every one of you will fulfill your statutory duty in accordance with the principles set forth in the law And not because of one political affiliation or another“.
Vogelman stressed: “A decision to disqualify a candidate is a fatal violation of the right to be elected, which is the basis of democracy. On the other hand, the democratic concept allows Israeli society to deny participation in the democratic process from those lists that deny Israeli democracy. In any case, the Supreme Court will examine the decision to disqualify and the evidentiary basis on which it is based. “
In his remarks, Vogelman explained the procedure and mentioned that the committee members must decide whether the evidence submitted by the petitioners is critical enough to disqualify a candidate or list and whether they meet the grounds for disqualification in section 7A of the Knesset Basic Law: “List of candidates will not participate in Knesset elections. In the Knesset elections, if there is one of the goals or actions of the list or the person, explicitly or implicitly, one of these: denying the existence of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, inciting racism or supporting an armed struggle of an enemy state or a terrorist organization against the State of Israel. “
Judge Uzi Vogelman (Photo: Adina Wellman, Knesset Spokeswoman)The first hearing dealt with the applications they submitted Maozia Segal And Chairman of Jewish Power Itamar Ben Gvir against Abtissam Maraanah Menuchin. Rishon spoke to the staff and asked that his request not be heard, after his request to separate the hearing in his petition from Ben Gvir’s petition was denied by the judge. “I do not want my name to be included in Ben Gvir’s petition that I oppose his positions,” Segal explained. The committee agreed and the request he submitted was dropped from the agenda.
Ben Gvir then came up to present his reasons for the disqualification petition he filed. “If a man of Jewish power came and said that Umm al-Fahm should be destroyed, His Excellency knows that not only would the Supreme Court disqualify him and he was rightly barred, that night the police would come and open an investigation and the ombudsman would open an investigation into incitement to racism and violence.” “Ben Gvir claimed and referred to a post in which Mara’ana wrote that” I would destroy Zichron Yaacov. “
“Anyone who wants to destroy memory should be in prison, but certainly not in the Knesset of Israel. This is not to destroy Umm al-Fahm but Zichron Yaacov, a mother city in the Land of Israel. This lady who is present here whose dream is to destroy a city and a mother in the State of Israel. Just because. Because it’s Jews. And if it is not support for a terrorist organization and the denial of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state and if it is not racism, I do not know what racism is. “.
Itamar Ben Gvir (Photo: Yossi Zamir, GPO)Recall, the Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit Informed the committee yesterday that it opposes all disqualification requests. Representative of the Speaker, Adv Renad Eid, Explaining the main points of his position, he said that this was a limited number of pieces of evidence and argued: “The petition does not meet the conditions as determined by the Supreme Court ruling. Most of the statements are controversial and worthy of condemnation. The ruling stated that even statements that arouse the soul are not grounds for disqualification“.
Advocate of Maraana, Adv Guy Bossy, He said: “The respondent does not support and has never supported the struggle of an enemy state or a terrorist organization against the State of Israel. There is no racism in her actions. This should be removed from the table. Violence in all its forms and components is far from the respondent as far east as west. She has won awards for fighting violence. “In an old post that was raised from the sorcerer to obscure the ideological vision of the respondent and the Labor Party. The most important of all the respondent believes in democracy in the deepest and broadest sense, which cannot be said about Jewish power.”
“It was not on the respondent that I came to the defense, whose fabric of life and actions are the best witnesses,” Bossi added. “The request before you indicates a disruption and a loss of way in everything related to understanding the democratic tools that are accepted in our places. They have invented something out of nothing, holding on to the request and the hump in order to advance their agenda. Their petition should exclude anyone who believes in democracy“.
Bossi attacked Jewish power: “They dream of a Knesset of Israel pure from any ideology that is not theirs. Whoever does not sanctify it will be immediately expelled from this house. The dream of Jewish power is a disaster for this country. Thought police from a house of Jewish power were not allowed to cross the threshold of the committee. Jewish Power makes the committee an ax to dig with to advance its goals. It is not disputed that there is no legal ground for disqualifying the respondent. They know that the court will roll them down all the stairs. “These remarks provoked interjections between Ben Gvir and the committee members.
Later, Bossi turned to the MK Shlomo Krai And to the right-wing representatives in the committee: “How did your hand not tremble. You did not agree to lend a hand to such a fundamental injustice. You are gnawing at freedom of expression and hurting Israeli democracy. Do not reach for the boy. Responding to the request will cast a mark of disgrace that will not be erased on this house. Will you convey a message of reconciliation and unity or will you pray to the pit that has given you Jewish power? “
Meretz representative Dror Morag Valid: “The whole essence of petitioner is racism, violence, incitement to violence. First of all, return the emblem from Rabin’s vehicle. This is a person who evokes anti-Semitism. He is guilty of anti-Semitism towards Israel. Petitioner is a slick person. He has been careful in recent years because he knows they want to disqualify him. Is he talking about a post from a few years ago? There is an attempt here to compare the extreme right with the left. These things are not equivalent to acts of violence by the far right. He is trying to give kosher to his side. I call on Ben Gvir to withdraw his candidacy for the Knesset, so as not to disgrace the State of Israel. “
Shlomo Qara (Photo: Hadas Porush, Flash 90)Likud MK representative Shlomo Krai He supported the request for disqualification, and even quoted prosecutor Gideon Hausner from the Eichmann trial: “We joined the disqualification requests against No. 7 in the Labor Party. We are not alone here. We have 23,000 victims of the Israeli military and six million Holocaust victims whose candidate looted the memory of Israel. , And more from a Zionist party? She calls the heads of state Hitler. She called the IDF a murderous army. She expresses support for the terrorist. This is support for terrorism, this is incitement to racism and violence. She does not apologize for her plethora of remarks. There is one here who wants to destroy cities in Israel. Despises the State of Israel and the holy of holies of Israeli society. Its place is not in the Knesset of Israel. “
Representative of Degel HaTorah, Abraham Weber, Announced that his list would abstain from voting and said briefly: “In principle this is not the place to discuss such things. If the time can be shortened. Let’s be purposeful, anyway the High Court will not accept the disqualification. I will refrain. “After him came a representative of Torah Judaism Avraham Justman, And he too announced that he had abstained.
MK Osnat Mark She said: “We never heard the candidate ask for clarification. She knew that every statement she made in the media would complicate her even more because she believed what she said all along. I do not understand how the representatives of Torah Judaism avoid it. We did not hear any remorse. She does not want to repeat it. “Now she’s doing the perfect show to get into the Knesset and then she’s going to act like all her friends who do a circus inside the Knesset. They put in their extreme political views.”
Representative of the Labor Party Richard Perez He said: “Begin would have turned over in his grave to hear the representatives of the right here. I ask the committee to reject the petition outright.” Blue and white representative Assaf Goldfarb He added: “The discourse against Arab society has become increasingly violent from time to time. She has apologized. The ombudsman said there was no reason here. I’m sad to see that. “
Hadash-Balad representative, Adv. Wiam Shavita, Said: “Ben Gvir said several times Umm al-Fahm instead of Zichron Yaacov. Four times he was wrong when he said to destroy Umm al-Fahm. You did not apologize for the mistake. What does this indicate? Not to destroy Umm al-Fahm neither Tel Aviv nor any city. What “Itamar, when you mistakenly use the word to destroy, at least apologize. Abtissam apologized, you did not apologize.”
Ibtisam Maraana, second from the right (Photo: Labor Party spokeswoman)As mentioned, Mandelblit submitted an opinion to the Election Commission yesterday, in which he wrote that “the limited evidence presented in the two applications to disqualify her candidacy for the Knesset does not establish an evidentiary basis for receiving them and certainly no ‘critical evidence’ of unequivocal, clear and convincing evidence regarding at least three The disqualification, which is required by the ruling of the Supreme Court to disqualify a candidate from running in the Knesset elections. ”
The ombudsman even mentioned that in an interview with News 12 that aired last Saturday, Maraana apologized for a 2013 post in which she boasted that she did not stand by the siren of Remembrance Day, and herself called it “a very old and miserable status” and noted that she would not write it today. He also opposes the petitions of Adv. Ben Gvir to disqualify the joint list and the RAAM list, for similar reasons. The decision to disqualify Maraana will be submitted to the Supreme Court for approval, which in the past has made similar decisions of the committee.