The chairman of the Labor Party, MK Merav Michaeli, referred today (Wednesday) in an interview with Reno Tzuror in Gali Tzahal to the disqualification of the Knesset candidate of Abtissam Maraana-Menuhin, who is in seventh place on the Labor list. According to Michaeli, “there is no difference between what was done to Maraana And what was done to Rabin. We are continuing the same incitement campaign that began in 1993 against Rabin to this very moment. “
First meeting of the Labor Party after the primaries for the list, about two weeks ago // Photo: Shmuel Buharis
The Labor chairman also claimed that “both the Likud and Shas decided to vote for Itamar Ben Gvir and against democracy.” As will be recalled, this morning the Central Election Commission, by a majority of 16 supporters against 15 opponents, rejected its candidacy for the Knesset from Ra’ana. Two Knesset members from Torah Judaism abstained. Due to the disqualification, the matter will automatically go to the Supreme Court, which will hear the matter in a panel of nine judges.
The Election Commission already estimated last night that a majority is expected to disqualify Mara’ana-Menuhin, because representatives of all coalition factions will support it. The request for its disqualification was submitted by Maozia Segal, a member of the Labor Party who became disabled by the IDF after being seriously wounded in the war of attrition in the Syrian enclave in 1974, as well as by a Jewish power faction.
After the hearing began, Segal surprisingly announced that he was rejecting Maraana’s request for disqualification, since Itamar Ben Gvir of Jewish power also filed a similar request, and due to his fierce opposition to the party’s worldview. The chairman of the election committee, Judge Uzi Vogelman, responded to his request – and deleted his request for disqualification.
Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit expressed his opposition to Maraana’s disqualification. In a comprehensive opinion he sent to the Election Commission in response to the disqualification demand, Mandelblit explained that Maraana “has in recent years spoken out publicly against the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, incited racism and even incited violence and supported terrorist organizations and terrorist operatives against Israel.”
At the same time, the committee rejected by a large majority the request for disqualification of the joint list, after 15 members opposed it, three supported and two abstained. Likud representatives were absent from the vote.
