Netanyahu Camp Reportedly Moves to Bar Ra’am From Next Election

Overview

• Sources citing a Channel 13 report said Sunday that senior figures close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are working on a legal and political effort to prevent the United Arab List (Ra’am) from running in the next national election.
• The strategy described in the reports would target Ra’am’s parent body, the Southern Faction of the Islamic Movement in Israel, seeking an official terrorist designation based on alleged wartime transfers of funds and aid to the Gaza Strip.
• Implementing the move would require changes to Israel’s Counterterrorism Law, approval or legislation by the Knesset, and formal legal recommendations from security agencies with the Shin Bet identified as central to the process.
• The effort remains preliminary and unconfirmed by the Prime Minister’s Office, while Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas has publicly condemned the reports and warned the security establishment against being used for political ends.
• If advanced the proposal could reshape who is allowed on the ballot, raise legal and institutional questions about election rules and security-agency roles, and influence political calculations as the country waits for an election timetable.