Lawmakers advance bills to block ‘terror supporters’ from holding local office
Legislation would ban candidates who support armed struggle against Israel from running in municipal elections — and would allow their removal, once elected, by Interior Ministry
Sam Sokol is the Times of Israel's political correspondent. He was previously a reporter for the Jerusalem Post, Jewish Telegraphic Agency and Haaretz. He is the author of "Putin’s Hybrid War and the Jews"
Lawmakers on Wednesday voted to advance a pair of nearly identical bills prohibiting supporters of terrorism or armed struggle against the State of Israel from running in local council elections, while also creating a mechanism for impeachment if they’re found to have expressed such sentiments after being elected.
Passing its preliminary reading 51-11, the first bill, sponsored by Likud MK Hanoch Milwidsky, seeks to bring the Local Authorities Bill in line with an existing law barring individuals who support terror and racism from running for the Knesset.
Milwidsky’s bill would ban candidates who support armed struggle by an enemy state or terrorist organization against the State of Israel from running for local office. Members of local councils would be empowered to expel colleagues who express such views following an 80% majority vote ratified by the High Court.
The presence of supporters of terrorism, armed struggle and racism against the State of Israel in local authorities is “absurd,” the bill’s explanatory notes state, adding that such people “cannot serve as elected officials when they express solidarity with a violent act against [Israel] and in practice represent the citizens of their city and even the state at international events.”
The fact that they currently can do so “is very disturbing and frightening, and the elected representatives of the State of Israel have the responsibility to prevent this horrific scenario from coming true,” the bill argues.
A similar bill, backed by Yisrael Beytenu MK Oded Forer, also passed its preliminary reading, 36-10.
It states that a candidate or party slate will not be allowed to participate in elections if their actions or rhetoric explicitly or implicitly promote “the denial of the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state,” incite racism, or promote the “armed struggle of an enemy state or of a terrorist organization against the State of Israel.”
In addition to allowing for the impeachment of elected officials via a four-fifths vote, the proposal allows for the Interior Ministry to revoke the election of a council member found in violation of the bill’s provisions, following a hearing with the candidate and the head of the local authority in question.
Making it easier to disqualify Arabs
The bills’ advancement came less than a month after lawmakers voted 61-35 in favor of another measure changing the criteria for banning candidates from running for the Knesset, which could make it easier to push out Arab-led parties and MKs.
That bill, an amendment to Basic Law: The Knesset, 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.
Addressing the Knesset last month, Katz argued 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.”
Speaking in opposition to the bill, Opposition Leader Yair Lapid accused the government of singling out Arab lawmakers and passing a law for “canceling the opposition.”
Lapid added the coalition wouldn’t pass a law barring those convicted of terror from the Knesset, because that would result in the disqualification of National Security Itamar Ben Gvir, who has been convicted eight times on incitement and terrorism charges.
Earlier this month, the Knesset Ethics Committee voted unanimously to suspend MK Ofer Cassif, the only Jewish member of the Arab-majority Hadash-Ta’al party, from the Knesset for six months, over comments he made supporting armed struggle against Israel and accusing Israel of genocide in Gaza.
