Run Zoabi, Run
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Photo Credit: Yori Yanover
In a very unsurprising move, the Supreme Court overruled the Central Elections Commission and determined that MK Hanin Zoabi of the Balad party can run in the upcoming elections.
Despite the Elections Commission being clearly right in saying she breached the requirements regarding who is not allowed to run, and the Supreme Court being clearly wrong in having overruled them, I probably have to support Zoabi’s right to run.
Zoabi, as you should recall, was an involved passenger on the Mavi Marmara blockade run attempt in 2010.
On the Mavi Marmara, a group of passengers, connected to the Turkish IHH (designated as a terror organization by Israel), attacked IDF naval troops, including with at least one gun, during their attempt to break the blockade of Hamas terror-controlled Gaza and provide aid to Israel’s enemy.
Zoabi set off a political storm in Israel with her participation on that particular boat.
So you must be asking yourself, why am I supporting her right to run in the Knesset, despite her association with known terrorists and attempting to aid the enemy?
After all, in Israel’s Elections Law it clearly states the following are the basis for individuals and parties not being allowed to run:
1. The rejection of Israel’s right to exist as a Jewish and democratic state.
2. Incitement of racism.
3. Support of the armed struggle of enemy states or terrorist organizations against the state of Israel.
4. A reasonable basis to conclude that the party will be used for illegal activities.
Zoabi seems to clearly be in violation of at least #1 and #3.
And the Balad party’s stated goal is the “struggle to transform the state of Israel into a democracy for all its citizens, irrespective of national or ethnic identity,” is clearly in violation of #1.
And its not like there isn’t history here.
You might recall the famous case of MK Azmi Bishara, not coincidentally, also from the Balad party.
Bishara ran away before he could be arrested for actively aiding Hezbollah during the Second Lebanon War. And then the Knesset banned the Balad party, but once again the Supreme Court overruled them and let Balad run.
I have two reasons for this admittedly strange position.
The first is that it’s a badly written law.
It’s vague and it potentially chills free speech.
Parts of the law above are incredibly vague (such as #2), and there’s far too much wiggle room that allows it to be spuriously applied to any political enemy, such as the recent attempts to use it against Ben-Ari and Naftali Bennett, in an attempt to block them from running.
It’s a law crying out for selective abuse, just as it was selectively abused in the past against another rightwing party who was becoming very popular, and yet it was never used against any leftwing anti-Jewish parties (such as Shinui) or anti-Settler parties (such as Meretz), no matter how racist they might be considered, nor despite their attempts to remove the Jewish component from Israel’s definition as a Jewish and democratic state.
In short, the law is poorly written, it is selectively applied, and until the law is fixed, it’s problematic to have it applied to anyone, since it can be used against any political enemy.
The second and perhaps more important reason is that the Knesset dropped the ball.
IHH is designated a terrorist organization.
Zoabi was on the boat with a terrorist organization to break the Israeli government’s lawful blockade on a terrorist entity.
Nu?
Why didn’t the Knesset do its equivalent of impeaching her?
Why did the government fail in its charges against her participation in the Mavi Marmara?
Simply because she claimed she was acting independent from the IHH! For heaven’s sake, why isn’t Zoabi sitting in jail?
But that’s only part of it.
The government dropped the ball, in another place. And perhaps not where you think.
The government also dropped the ball, because it still hasn’t fought the Supreme Court, and their self-assumed right to overrule any Knesset ruling they don’t like.
Until the Knesset decides to take a clear position that the Supreme Court is overstepping its bounds and taking on powers it doesn’t have, then the Knesset deserves every slap in the face it gets from the Supreme Court.
tell a friendAbout the Author: JoeSettler blogs at The Muqata.blogspot.com and occasionally on his own blog at JoeSettler.blogspot.com.
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I think Yasser Arafat appointed the supreme court justice's
No it wasn't Arafat, it was the Ford foundation with an investment price of 20 million dollars.
Don't your points 1 & 2 form a contradictio in terminis?
Is a jewish state only [#1] democratic and not a type of racism [#2] to non-jews?
The fact that Zoabi is allowed to run and be a memebr of the Knesset show that your argument make s no sense. A Jewish state can still have non-Jewish citizens whose rights are protected. In this case their rights are more protected then the average Jew.
Don't your points 1 & 2 form a contradictio in terminis?
Is a jewish state only [#1] democratic and not a type of racism [#2] to non-jews?
Gee what a stuffup of legalities. An attorney General who takes eons to move and then when he does, its with timing that makes one wonder – Is he in the game of Law or the game of Politics? Then we have Justices who believe they're G-ds and misbehave as if the legal system is their's to rewrite. As for Zoabi, she should run – like a rabbit. Run Zoabi, run Zoabi, run, run, run. For if we catch you we'll have some fun, fun, fun!