Supreme Court to Decide Next Week on Zoabi and Marzel's Eligibility

The Supreme Court will rule next week on appeals by Knesset Member Hanin Zoabi and Baruch Marzel to overturn the Elections Committee decision to bar them from running in the elections.

One of the justices at the hearing Tuesday morning stated that the court generally does not get involved in politics, but there is a legal question concerning the authority of the Elections Committee.

It decided by a 27-6 vote to ban Zoabi from running because of incitement, and voted 17-16 to ban Marzel because of racism.

The worse possible court decision would be if the judges overturn only one of the petitioner's eligibility. That is a virtual impossibility because the judges know that the public and political reaction would be catastrophic.

Allowing the Elections Committees decision also could be catastrophic for the future because it would set a precedent that political parties, who comprise the committee, can decide who is a racist and who incites.