Israel's Central Elections Committee Bars Main Arab Parties From Polls

Israel's Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify the Ra'am party and the Joint List alliance from contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections to the 120-member Knesset.

Recent opinion polls projected that Arab parties could win up to 12 seats, while neither Prime Minister Netanyahu's coalition nor the opposition bloc secured a majority.

The disqualification decisions require final approval from the Supreme Court of Justice following appeals filed by legal representatives and human rights organizations.