Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled on Sunday that Itamar Ben-Gvir of Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) will not be able to advance to the fifth place on the Right-Wing Union slate, even though the Otzma candidate the occupied that slot had been disqualified by the court. Recently appointed conservative justice Alex Stein supported the promotion of Ben-Gvir, while Justices Noam Solberg and Menachem Mazuz objected.
It should be noted that Justice Solberg resides in the settlements as is considered to lean to the right in most decisions.
Rabbi Rafi Peretz, chairman of the Union of Right-Wing Parties issued a statement saying: “The High Court of Justice does not miss an opportunity to subvert the will of the voter. After intervening in the composition of the right-wing parties’ list, the High Court of Justice is now seeking to determine the order of the members of the same list. The right-wing parties union under my leadership will act to restore the High Court of Justice to its proper place – the Judiciary. Not the legislature, not the executive, and certainly not the voters. We are committed to democracy.”
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Union of right-wing parties issued an even harsher response: “This is the last time the High Court of Justice decides about us. After the elections, we will decide about the High Court of Justice.”
In their petition, the right wing union claimed that after Ben-Ari had been disqualified, the agreement between Habayit Hayehudi, National Union and Otzma Yehudit had become unfairly tilted against the latter, so that, should the slate receive fewer than seven seats, it would be left without a representative in the Knesset even though its voters put the slate in.
Justice Mazuz responded “We are not interested in the party’s considerations and advantages. As long as it is not too late to change the list, you can make changes.”