Appointment of Marzel for Umm El-Fahm voting booth remains unclear

By ABE SELIG, REBECCA ANNA STOIL
Central Elections Committee Chairman Judge Eliezar Rivlin said on Tuesday that he would look into the appointment of Baruch Marzel as the National Union's poll monitor in the Wadi Ara town of Umm El-Fahm. But Marzel told The Jerusalem Post on Tuesday that, "the judge has said he has no legal backing to stop me from entering the town. I am going to Umm El-Fahm to make sure no illegal activity goes on there, and if any votes are registered for the National Union, I want to make sure they're not tampered with. People may not agree with me, but this is a democracy, and I'm acting within my rights." Marzel also said that he hoped to draw attention to the fact that, "the Israeli government has no control over Umm El-Fahm - it's just like [Nablus] or Gaza." Regardless, such a statement from Rivlin is far from the usual decisive rulings he offers, and any such probe would have to be completed - and a decision reached - before next Tuesday.