Petition Filed to Disqualify Feiglin, Smotrich From Knesset

The Zulat Institute for Equality and Human Rights, together with former defense minister and IDF chief of staff Moshe (Bogie) Ya'alon, former ministers Yael German and Omer Bar-Lev, Prof. Frances Raday, and diplomat Yoram Ben-Ze'ev, filed a petition Tuesday with the Central Elections Committee seeking to disqualify the candidacies of Bezalel Smotrich, Moshe Feiglin, and Zvi Sukkot, and to prevent the Religious Zionism party from participating in elections for the 26th Knesset.

The petition follows a request submitted Monday calling for the disqualification of the Otzma Yehudit party, which is scheduled for committee review next week. The right to present arguments regarding party members will be preserved in an appeal to the Supreme Court, as determined by Judge Solberg.

The petition, filed through attorneys Gilad Barnea and Dr. Rina Anati, relies on Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset. According to the petitioners, these are candidates and a party whose actions and statements demonstrate denial of Israel's democratic character and systematic incitement to racism.

The detailed petition presents an extensive foundation of statements, initiatives, and actions. Among other things, it cites Smotrich's statement that Arab Knesset members are in Israel "by mistake," his assertion that they are Israeli citizens "at least for now," his call to outlaw Arab parties, his support for separation between Jewish and Arab maternity patients, and his plan to apply Israeli sovereignty while denying full political participation to Palestinians. The petition also mentions his call to "erase Huwara" and his promotion of policies encouraging Palestinian emigration from Gaza.

Regarding Feiglin, the petition presents a consistent pattern of statements distinguishing between Jews and Arabs, including denial of voting rights to Arabs, statements about "master's sons" and "maidservant's sons," and promotion of ideas of conquest, expulsion, and settlement in Gaza. Concerning Sukkot, the petition details his statements about the deaths of "almost 100 Gazans" as something "nobody cares about," denial of the existence of Palestinian heritage, his activity in Shde Teiman, and destruction of a monument in the Palestinian village of Ma'dama.

The petitioners emphasize that the petition is not directed against right-wing, nationalist, or security positions as such, but rather against a cumulative pattern of de-legitimization of Arab citizens, curtailment of their political rights, and harm to the principles of equality, rule of law, and democracy.

According to the Zulat Institute: "The right to be elected is not a license to use democracy to dismantle it from within. Section 7A was enacted precisely to prevent Kahanism and racism from becoming legitimate governmental tools. The Elections Committee must serve as the gatekeeper of Israeli democracy and keep out of the Knesset those who systematically act against its foundations."