Central Elections Committee (CEC)

This time, the Supreme Court must not blink - opinion

In every election cycle, a familiar scenario unfolds in which the Central Elections Committee disqualifies parties from running for the Knesset, a decision that has almost always been overturned.

|ByORI WERTMAN
Central Elections Committee Chairman, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, leads a hearing on a request to disqualify Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh at the Central Elections Committee at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 23, 2026.
Election billboards for Otzma Yehudit party and its party head Itamar Ben Gvir, in Ramat Gan. October 04, 2026.

High Court rejects Democrats’ bid to bar Otzma Yehudit from election

The High Court also rejected the Democrats' request to disqualify Ben-Gvir and Tally Gotliv.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
Israeli National Security Minister and Otzma Yehudit party chairman Itamar Ben Gvir and fellow party member Tali Gottlieb attend a press conference ahead of the upcoming general elections, in Jerusalem, September 22, 2026.

Sohlberg orders removal of Ben-Gvir prison video, imposes NIS 20,000 costs

The Public Committee Against Torture in Israel and the nonprofit Voting for Israel filed petitions arguing that the video constituted election propaganda produced through the use of public assets.

|BySARAH BEN-NUN
DESPITE HUGE advances in technology, Israeli voters still mark a physical paper ballot and place it in a ballot box. From there, the CEC builds multiple layers of verification around that slip of paper.

AI, fraud, and cyberattacks: What security threats face Israel’s 2026 election?

POLITICAL AFFAIRS: The irony of Israel’s election security system is that the most consequential threats may not necessarily involve the ballot boxes at all.

|BySHIR PERETS

Ra’am, Joint List appeal election bans as petitions target Otzma Yehudit

The Supreme Court will also review the disqualifications of Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

WATCH: 'Don't mess with us': Netanyahu warns enemies may attack Israel ahead of election

A meeting between Lapid and Netanyahu is set for Tuesday evening following the PMO's rejection of Lapid's initial request for an urgent briefing.

SEPTEMBER 29, 2026ByAARON GLICK
Netanyahu warns of indications that Israel's enemies may attack in run up to election from Tel Nof Air Force Base.

The Abu Shehadeh test: Will the court respect Israel’s will, or keep up the charade? - opinion

The Israeli public changed profoundly because of October 7. We understood that what we had previously regarded as a distant or manageable nuisance could become an existential danger.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2026BySIMCHA ROTHMAN
SAMI ABU Shehadeh speaks during a protest against the war in Gaza in Tel Aviv, in 2023.

Experts warn party disqualification bids risk intimidating, disenfranchising Arab voters

Even a Supreme Court reversal may not dispel intimidation and safety fears, they say.

SEPTEMBER 28, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
SAMI ABU Shehadeh speaks during a protest against the war in Gaza in Tel Aviv, in 2023.

Israel cannot call itself a democracy while excluding Arabs from political power - opinion

Demanding full equality and opposing military occupation should not place anyone outside legitimate political life. Arab citizens have the same right as Jewish citizens to elect representatives.

SEPTEMBER 27, 2026ByJOSH DRILL
Mansour Abbas is the head of Ra’am, one of four Arab parties vying for a place in the Knesset.

Sohlberg issues injunction against Satmar org. accused of bribing voters to abstain from election

A petition filed by the Movement for Quality Government alleged that a Satar-affiliated organization offered payments of NIS 200 to haredim who vowed not to vote in the upcoming Knesset elections.

SEPTEMBER 25, 2026ByANNA BARSKY
Chairman of the Central Elections Committee (CEC), Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, Acting Director-General of the CEC, Attorney Din Livne, and committee members attend the registration of party lists ahead of the upcoming Israeli elections at the Knesset in Jerusalem, September 7, 2026.

Balad chairman barred from running in election following 31-4 Central Elections Committee vote

The decision is not final. Under Basic Law: The Knesset, the disqualification of an individual candidate requires Supreme Court approval before taking effect.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Head of the Balad party MK Sami Abu Shehadeh arrives to cast his vote a voting station, on November 1, 2022; illustrative.

Central Elections Committee bars Arab Ra'am, Joint List parties from running in October elections

The CEC's decision is temporary pending a ruling from the Supreme Court.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN, JAMES GENN, JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Ra'am party head MK Mansour Abbas leads a faction meeting, at the Knesset, the Israeli parliament in Jerusalem, on January 12, 2026.

Election panel votes to bar Ofer Cassif from Knesset race, Supreme Court review set for next week

The proceedings opened with a separate request to disqualify MK Ofer Cassif. The committee was also scheduled to consider the case against Abu Shehadeh on Wednesday.

SEPTEMBER 23, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
MK Ofer Cassif attends a House committee meeting at the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament in Jerusalem on January 30, 2024

Election panel to weigh whether Balad leader Abu Shehadeh crossed legal line for Knesset run

Abu Shehadeh faces a disqualification hearing centered on an October 8, 2023, article and whether it meets the Supreme Court’s strict legal standard.

SEPTEMBER 22, 2026BySARAH BEN-NUN
Head of the Balad party MK Sami Abu Shehadeh arrives to cast his vote a voting station, on November 1, 2022, for the Israeli general elections. November 1, 2022.