Knesset advances legislation that could make it easier to disqualify Arab lawmakers

Bill would expand criteria for barring candidates from running to include any support for act of terror or terrorist; bill giving government control of TV ratings data also advances

File: MK Ayman Odeh (center left) and MK Ahmad Tibi (center right) attend Hadash–Ta'al faction meeting, at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on February 19, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)
File: MK Ayman Odeh (center left) and MK Ahmad Tibi (center right) attend Hadash–Ta'al faction meeting, at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on February 19, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

A bill that changes the criteria for banning candidates from running for the Knesset, which could make it easier to push out Arab-led parties and MKs, passed a preliminary reading on Wednesday.

The amendment to Basic Law: The Knesset, which passed by a vote of 61-35, would expand the current rule whereby candidates can only be banned from running if there is a significant body of evidence that they have supported terror, to include isolated support of acts carried out by a lone attacker and not just those by a group or enemy state.

Among the acts that would be construed as support for terror would be visiting the family of an attack suspect.

According to the proposal sponsored by Likud MK Ofir Katz, a candidate can be banned by the Central Election Committee without needing the final approval of the High Court of Justice, as is currently required.

Katz told the Knesset that “no country in the world would allow terror supporters to serve in parliament, and I say to Supreme Court judges, the nation won’t accept it anymore.”

Opposition Leader Yair Lapid said during the debate that it was “clear who you are trying to disqualify” with the bill, accusing the government of singling out Arab lawmakers, and passing a law for “canceling the opposition.”

File: Opposition Leader Yair Lapid speaks during a plenary session of the opening day of the winter session at the Knesset, in Jerusalem, on October 28, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

Lapid added the coalition wouldn’t pass a law against those convicted of terror, because that would result in the disqualification of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who has been convicted eight times on incitement and terrorism charges.

“This is not really a law against terrorism, this is a law to protect your coalition in any situation,” he said. “This is a law that says, we lost ten seats on October 7, so through the Knesset, we will take away ten seats to benefit us.”

All members of Lapid’s Yesh Atid party voted against the bill except for MK Idan Roll, who abstained, along with National Unity lawmakers.

During the debate, Social Equality and Advancement of the Status of Women Minister May Golan, who advocated for the bill, was removed from the session after verbally attacking several opposition lawmakers, including telling Yesh Atid MK Vladimir Beliak to “wash your dirty mouth.”

Deputy Knesset speaker Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky urged Golan to not inflame the situation, to which she responded: “I will say what I want.”

“The next time you use adjectives against a Knesset member you will leave,” Milwidsky said.

“You can save your etiquette for the Arab MKs and the leftists you talk to. Don’t stop Knesset members. I’ll continue as long as I want,” Golan responded. She was eventually removed as she continued to scold other lawmakers.

File: Social Equality and Advancement of the Status of Women Minister May Golan attends a 40 signatures debate, at the plenum hall of the Knesset, on July 17, 2024. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

There have been numerous attempts in the past to have individual Arab candidates or entire parties banned from running during election campaigns via petition to the Central Elections Committee. Right-wing and nationalist parties in the Knesset, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party, accuse Arab lawmakers of supporting terror due to their backing for Palestinian nationalism. Some, including Hadash-Ta’al chair Ayman Odeh, have visited terror suspects or their families.

Ahead of the most recent election in 2022, the CEC banned the Arab nationalist Balad party after accepting a petition claiming the party’s platform negates the existence of the State of Israel. Though the High Court of Justice later overturned the ban, the party ultimately failed to pass the threshold for entry into the Knesset.

MKs advance bill giving government control of TV viewer data

Separately, a bill granting the government oversight of television viewership data passed a preliminary reading 53-49 in the Knesset plenum, two days after receiving backing from the Ministerial Committee for Legislation.

The legislation, sponsored by Likud MK Shalom Danino, would allow the communications minister to assume control of the currently independent organization that supplies publishers with this information.

It aims to establish “a framework” for measuring TV broadcast viewing figures and force the various broadcasters to report this data to the agency, including viewers’ age, gender and place of residence.

It would also compel networks to display their peak-hour viewing figures.

Both bills still need to pass through a committee and three additional votes in the plenum.

After the Ministerial Committee for Legislation backed the bill on Monday, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara issued a position paper asserting that it would violate key constitutional principles, including the right to privacy and freedom of the press.

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi in the Knesset plenum in Jerusalem, October 30, 2024. (Dani Shem-Tov/Knesset)

Communications Minister Shlomo Karhi dismissed the attorney general’s criticism, saying that the bill would be amended to protect viewer privacy. He also said it was the government, not Baharav-Miara, that would establish the core principles of the legislation.

“What we want in this proposal is to reveal viewing data to the public through content providers,” stated Karhi on Wednesday. “There are unacceptable things in this proposal and we will correct them in the committee. It will undergo adjustments in accordance with the broadcasting law. Only those who have something to hide are afraid of the true data.”

The bill is seen by some critics as designed to benefit the commercial interests of Netanyahu’s favored Channel 14. Mainstream broadcasters are ostensibly concerned that the government-designated agency for determining viewer ratings could slant the data toward pro-government outlets, thereby unjustifiably increasing their income and influence.

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