The Central Election Committee on Wednesday, 28 Kislev 5773 voted to disqualify the election campaign of the right-wing Otzma Yisrael Party, which is headed by MKs Dr. Michael Ben-Ari and Prof. Aryeh Eldad to the delight of the political left.
The left-wing Meretz Party, backed by others filed the petition, challenging the slogan “Loyalty, no obligations, no privileges” as racist.
In their defense, Eldad and Ben-Ari rejected the allegations, explaining their slogan is legitimate, seeking equality regarding both responsibilities and benefits for all citizens regardless of one’s skin color of ethnicity.
Committee chair, Supreme Court Justice Elyakim Rubinstein sided with Meretz and disqualified the campaign with the explanation the committee views the campaign directed against Arabs in an effort to paint them as being disloyal to the state.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
This strengthen the “right” in the election since their supporters will votge for other right wing parties, whereas if they ran they would probably draw votes from other right-wing parties, resulting in some of them not passing the threshold, which “wastes” the votes.