Israel’s Central Election Committee on Thursday, 23 Shevat disqualified the candidacy of Arab MK Hanin Zoabi, removing her from the race for the 20th Knesset. The committee voted 27-6 in favor of ousting her.
Zoabi has been a controversial figure in Knesset and in the eyes of many lawmakers since her participation in the Marvi Mamara flotilla that tried to break the IDF marine embargo on Gaza. In addition, she has refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organization, justified the terrorist kidnapping of the Gush Etzion kedoshim HY”D, and compared IDF soldiers to Nazis.
After the committee announced its ruling, Zoabi commented she is not at all surprised and did not have high expectations for the “politicized committee”.
The committee ousted Zoabi a bit over two years ago as well, in the election for the 19th Knesset. That decision was however overturned when she appealed to the Supreme Court, which is like to be the MK’s next move.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
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3 Responses
They also banned Baruch Marzel, also on the grounds of being subversive. They are both likely to be reinstated by the Israeli courts (Israel does like to keep to the pretence of having democratic elections). Getting banned makes one more popular among your supporters, and trying to get someone banned is popular among the “base” of those asking for the ban.
Democracies don’t ban people based on their ideology (that’s why the US didn’t prevent the communists from running candidates during the Cold War), and the US also allowed candidates running on a pro-surrender platform during the Civil war election of 1864. Most Israelis hope that they will someday have a western style democracy.
I think it worth noting that meretz voted to disqualify marzel but voted against disqualifying zoabi showing that meretz is neither for the western style democracy akuperma speaks of or a Jewish state and is simply an anti Semitic party.
#2- How do you know how the representatives of Meretz voted? The decision does not name the representatives who voted for and against, or the parties they represent, it only states that 6 representatives voted against and 27 for disqualifying Zoabi. See, http://bechirot.gov.il/election/news/Announcments/Documents/HEP3-20and4-20Resolution.pdf
Furthermore, while Meretz has 4 representatives on the committee, each of the four Arab parties have 2 representatives for a total of 8. It seems much more likely that Zoabi’s 6 supporters came from the Arab parties and not from Meretz.