The High Court of Justice heard a petition from the Movement for Quality Government challenging Deputy Minister (Bayit Yehudi) Rabbi Eli Ben-Dahan’s secured position on the Likud list, despite the approval of the Central Election Committee.

The three-justice panel was headed by Justice Yitzchak Amit and also included Anat Brown and Alex Stein. The Movement for Quality Government accepted the court’s recommendation and withdrew the petition. Thereby avoiding payment of court costs.

Justice Amit opened with a question that made it difficult for the Movement for Quality Government: “By virtue of which clause are we sitting here?” Attorney Tomer Naor of the Movement for Quality Government, who was against securing a slot for Ben-Dahan on the Likud list replied: “We admit that even when we submitted the request to the Elections Committee, we also wondered what entity permitted our actions here.”

The judge made it difficult again: “You could have come to the High Court without going to the Elections Committee, but you have put yourself on the path of the Elections Committee.

As a result of the court recommending the withdrawal of the petition, Ben-Dahan as now secure in the 27th slot, a realistic one, on the Likud party list. The placement of Ben-Dahan of the Bayit Yehudi party on the Likud list, was part of the wheeling and dealing that took place towards persuading Bayit Yehudi to agree to bring in the Otzma Yehudit party, thereby creating what is now referred to as the United Right-Wing list. In fact, Prime Minister Netanyahu was tenacious in his efforts towards persuading Bayit Yehudi and Ichud Leumi two agreed to bring Otzma Yehudi on board towards preventing right-wing votes being tossed in the trash.

Interestingly, officials of the Movement for Quality Government, explained later that had they circumvented the central election committee, and come directly to the High Court of Justice, the court would have asked “why did you not first bring this to the Central Election Committee?”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)