Yisrael Beytenu and Blue and White parties announced over the weekend that they will back a Likud petition to the Central Elections Committee to disqualify a Joint Arab List lawmaker from running in the March 2 elections, citing her vocal support of terrorism, Channel 12 News reported Saturday.
Likud MK Ofir Katz is set to file the petition asking the Central Elections Committee to ban Balad MK Heba Yazbak for allegedly supporting terrorism.
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The Joint Arab List is a faction comprising the Balad, Ra'am-Ta'al, and Hadash parties. The three joined forces ahead of the 2015 general elections after the electoral threshold was set at 3.25%, or four Knesset seats, fearing that individual runs would see them fail to enter parliament. The Joint Arab List eventually won 13 seats, an achievement it has retained in both elections held in 2019.
Yazbak has systematically called for "armed resistance" against Israel and has also praised Lebanese terrorist Samir Kuntar, who was part of a brutal murder of a Jewish family in 1979, in a Facebook post in 2015.
The post included a picture of Kuntar with the inscription, "The martyr fighter Samir Kuntar."
"MK Yazbak has been systematically supporting terrorists and spies who have committed horrendous crimes against the State of Israel and its residents, Katz's petition reads. "There is no place in the Knesset for terrorist sympathizers, for those who support murderers and Hezbollah spies. We have the moral obligation to oust Yazbak and prevent such people from being in a position where they represent the State of Israel."
The Central Elections Committee, which is staffed by lawmakers and headed by Supreme Court Justice Neal Hendel, is likely to grant the petition, a source familiar with the committee's work said.
Such a decision will then be reviewed by the Supreme Court, but according to Channel 12 News, Chief Justice Esther Hayut hinted she could uphold a decision to ban Yazbak from running if forced to rule on the matter.
Joint Arab List faction chair MK Ahmad Tibi said that Blue and White's backing for Yazbak's disqualification would be "viewed severely," by the party, which lent Likud's challenger its support following the September election.
"The attempt to disqualify MK Heba Yazbak's candidacy is part of the delegitimization campaign of the Arab public and its elected officials, who enjoy growing political power," the party said in a statement.
"All parties comprising the Joint Arab List emphasizes the right to oppose the occupation by any legitimate means and denounce any attempt to harm civilians on either side. At a time when the prime minister is mobilizing racial forces that incite war, racism, and discrimination, there are those who try to undermine forces that call for peace, equality, and coexistence. "
