As was expected, the Central Elections Committee on Monday voted to disqualify the Ra’am-Ta’al and the Balad National Democratic Assembly Arab parties, resulting in this ineligibility to run in the Feb. 10th general elections for the 18th Knesset. The decision was made in a 26-3 vote of committee members, who decided that since the Arab coalition does not recognize Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish state, they shouldn’t be able to run for seats as representatives in the state’s parliament.
Balad’s former leader, Azmi Bishara, fled Israel as it was discovered he was providing Hizbullah information during the Second Lebanon War. While he and his supporters insist he is innocent, he has yet to return to face charges and prove his innocence in a court of law.
Sadly, a similar decision was overturned in 2003 by Israel’s High Court of Justice and as Arab legislator (Ra’am – Ta’al) Dr. Ahmed Tibi stated following Monday’s committee vote, in all likelihood the court will once again reinstate the party and permit it to run in the election.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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13 Responses
Can anyone tell me of one other country in the Middle East that allows parties advocating for that country’s destruction / annulation to take place in their respective parliaments?
Imagine a Zionist party in the PA elections, or a Christian party in the Saudi elections. Or a party of pro-American Iranians in Iran.
The primary effect of this may be to strengthen the other Arab parties, which might otherwise fail to pass the threshold. Indeed, the ban may help the left-wing anti-religious Jewish parties which will pick up some of the votes.
In a democracy, it is very hard to effectively ban a party. Witness the attempts of to ban nationalist parties in Israel (you can ban an individual, but other parties take their place).
The only way to effectively ban a political party, and its ideology, in a democratic system, is to reeducate the population (that’s why the left wing parties want to close the yeshivos, so they’ll stop producing Jewish voters), or genocide (which raises other halachic issues, especially in the absence of a navi or sanhedrin to declare a herem), or to find a way to ban its supporters (that is why the secular parties have been looking for a way to tie voting to army service).
And of course, remember that if they could, most of those who want to ban “anti-zionist” parties would be happy to ban all parties that reject the “democratic” (euphemism for “secular”) basis of the state. So guess who would be next (check your local mirror).
Daniel, unfortunatly, these ridiculous liberal policies seem to be true of all the “most democratic” countries and especially Israel.
The whole mindset of the Chilonim is the modren mindset of “li kol ho-oretz” i.e. that everyone has “rights” that may not be breached. Even if these Arabs are murdering us and working against us, they still have a “right” to have a say and to live and work in our country.
so some people actually have sachel in Israel’s power strucuture, Aron Barak and Rubinstein and other traitors like Mazuz
Hopefully this a turn in the right-wing direction.
#3 (and others) – and what happens when the Hilonim and Post-Zionists, who have a clear majority in the Kenesset, decide the parties that challenge the rule of (secular) law, and want to have Eretz Yisrael run according to Halacha, are incompatible with the basic policies of the state.
Perhaps in a few generations, there will be a Jewish majority in Israel (assuming the hilonim keep having few babies and high emmigration), but until then, be wary of giving up on democracy, since we are a minority, and not even a very big one.
Many Israelis figure “Ban the Arabs” today, so tomorrow we can “Ban the Hareidim” and “Ban the Religious Nationalists”. Indeed, limiting voting to army veterans and tying most government benefits to being a veteran would effectively cripple the Torah world in Israel. The Israeli left’s willingness to protect the Arabs, gives cover to us against the secular “Jewish” majority.
You guys don’t get it. These guys went for years to countries like Syria and Lebanon, paid for by Israel, to preach and insite against their own country! prais Terrorists, etc.! Unbelievable!
baruch sheh petaranu
“and want to have Eretz Yisrael run according to Halacha”
The only talmid chocham to write extensively on running Eretz Yisrael according to Halacha was Rav Chaim Hirschensohn z”tl(machutan of Rav Frank), due to his unconventional views he was boycotted by the yishuv hayashan and emigrated to New Jersey in 1903. His 6 volumes of Responsa, Malki Bakodesh is answers to questions how to run a Torahdik medinah, “akuperma” you would be shocked by the answers. The majority of his answers take into account the democratic idealogy.
In every country, residents who are citizens of the land are given the right to vote. Running for office, political party, etc. has regulations and laws.
A party who supports the destruction of the country that it lives in is a non entity. Why has it been this long to reach this conclusion? The real question is this BAN forever or just during war time.
#9 – “Stan the man” – if one argues that in a case where Jewish law conflicts with Israeli law, e.g. coerced abortion, gay marriage, etc. (I’m avoid points about which frum Jews disagree such as those relating to yishua ha-aretz, military service in the zionist army, etc.), the Jewish position is binding and any secular law to the contrary is invalid, then most secular Israelis feel you should be banished from the political system for being “undemocratic”. Schools that promote “undemocratic” ideas should, according to the hilonim, be surpressed (as they almost were in 1949) so that all children will benefit from a good “democratic” education.
A great many orthodox Jews have been talking about running Eretz Yisrael as if it was a Jewish state. Indeed, the “frum” argument against any proposed Israeli constitution has been that Israel already has a constitution: Torah is the constitution, a view seen by most secular Israelis as tantamount to treason. Orthodox Jews have frequently argued that certain laws were contrary to halacha, and they would refuse to obey them (giyus banos being a good example), and while the hilonim have avoided a confrontation, the issue remains that it is unacceptable to them that 25% of the population (at least) refuses to accept the validity of Israeli law in the unconditional manner that most countries expect their laws to be obeyed.
re: it’s hard to ban a political party…Rabbis Meir and Binyamin Zev Kahane ztl may G-d avenge their blood were banned quite effectively, actually…
#10 You have missed the entire point.
Talk is cheap, Jewish state according to halacha, a country run le’fi toras hashem, etc., as I wrote only two talmidei chachom ever took the challenge seriously: Rav Hirshensohn and Rav Weinberger (Tzitz Eliezer). There is no apparent interest in running the country according to halacha, the religious parties are solely interested in personal agendas and upholding a fragile status quo.
Charlie, Thank you for correcting my error.