BICOM

Israel’s Blue and White Party unveiled a policy platform yesterday that proposed negotiations with the Palestinians based on retaining the largest settlement blocs in the West Bank and a continued Israeli presence in the Jordan Valley.

The party promised to: “Initiate a regional conference with the Arab countries that seek stability and deepen the process of separation from the Palestinians while maintaining uncompromising security interests of the State of Israel and the IDF’s freedom of action everywhere.”

The platform also includes a promise to pass legislation permitting same-sex civil unions and surrogacy by same-sex couples; a commitment to implement a currently frozen deal to expand the pluralistic Jewish prayer pavilion at the Western Wall; and a commitment to enshrine the value of equality in a Basic Law.

The Central Elections Committee voted yesterday to approve the candidacy of Jewish Power candidates Michael Ben Ari and Itamar Ben Gvir but to disqualify the Arab party, Balad-Raam, from the April elections. It also disqualified the candidacy of Ofer Cassif, who was placed in the fifth slot on the Hadash-Taal slate. Caasif was accused of equating Israel and the IDF with the Nazis and the committee cited his call to fight “Judeo-Nazism” and his description of Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked as “neo-Nazi scum”.

All candidates who have been disqualified are able to appeal to the Supreme Court to overturn the decision of the Central Elections Committee. The current coalition has a majority on the committee.  In 2015 the committee voted to disqualify Hanin Zoabi of Balad and Baruch Marzel of Yachad. They both successfully appealed to the Supreme Court and were able to stand in the 2015 election.

Meretz, Labour MK Stav Shaffir and the Israel Religious Action Center said they would petition the High Court of Justice to challenge the decision to approve the candidacies of Ben-Ari and Ben Gvir. A panel of nine justices will hear all of the cases and issue its final ruling within ten days. Disqualification is based on the Basic Law which states that a person or a list shall not be a candidate for election if their actions include “negation of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state”.