The Joint List on Monday responded to Likud's formal request to disqualify it from the Knesset elections, calling the party a 'crime family' that has lost public trust and brought destruction and death, according to N12. The Joint List also accused Likud of leading an incitement campaign against Arab citizens and said the party fears the Joint List's vision of Jewish-Arab equality.
The Joint List on Monday delivered its first public response to Likud's formal disqualification petition, denouncing the ruling party as a "crime family" that has lost all public trust and brought destruction and death. Muhammad Majadala, issuing the statement on behalf of the Arab-majority alliance, accused Likud of running a racist incitement campaign against Arab citizens and said the party fears the Joint List's vision of Jewish-Arab equality. The response, reported by N12, came hours after Likud submitted its requests to the Central Elections Committee.
The confrontation escalated rapidly on Sunday evening. At 21:11 Jerusalem, The Zioneer reported that Likud would file a petition to disqualify the Joint List from the upcoming Knesset elections. Shortly afterward, Likud legal adviser Ilan Bombach confirmed the filing would take place on Monday, and the party officially submitted requests to disqualify both the Joint List and Ra'am. In its submission, Likud stated that the Arab factions refuse to recognize Hamas as a terror organization and described them as the natural partners of opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, Yair Golan, and Avigdor Lieberman in forming a left-wing government.
The current political clash takes place against a backdrop of shifting alliances among Arab parties. As The Zioneer reported on June 10, Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad had finalized a joint electoral list without Ra'am, which has pursued a separate coalition-oriented path. Ra'am chairman Mansour Abbas stated in a July 11 interview that a unified Arab list was off the agenda and accused the other parties of seeking only to attack him. Meanwhile, Likud has previously taken a hardline stance on Arab factions, with Likud MK Amit Halevi sparking controversy in June over remarks about bombing mosques that preach Israel's destruction.
Likud has not yet issued a public response to the Joint List's statement. The formal disqualification petitions remain pending before the Central Elections Committee, and it is not yet clear when the committee will deliberate on the requests.
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