Israel bans Arab parties from election: Who they are, why it matters

Israeli politicians under ICC arrest warrants or international sanctions remain eligible to run.

x whatsapp-stroke copylink google Add Al Jazeera on Google info Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Israel's National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir in the Knesset, Israel's parliament in Jerusalem [File: AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg] By Caolán Magee Published On 26 Sep 2026 26 Sep 2026 Israel’s Central Elections Committee has voted to bar the country’s two main Arab-majority political lists from next month’s parliamentary election, potentially leaving Palestinian citizens of Israel without their principal representatives in the Israeli parliament, the Knesset.

The committee also voted to disqualify Ofer Cassif , a Jewish politician from the Arab-Jewish Hadash party, and Sami Abu Shehadeh, the leader of the Palestinian nationalist Balad party.