WORLD NEWS MARCH 7, 2019 / 4:53 AM / UPDATED 3 HOURS AGO

Far-rightists cleared for Israel election, Arab party blocked

Dan Williams
4 MIN READ

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel’s election board has approved far-right Jewish candidates accused by rivals of racism for next month’s election while disqualifying an Arab party that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said supported terrorism.

The Central Elections Committee’s decisions, taken late on Wednesday, were unlikely to be implemented before court appeals, but stoked an already acrimonious race for the April 9 vote.

Facing a corruption case and a merger of centrist parties that could defeat him, the conservative Netanyahu has allied with an ultra-nationalist list that includes the Jewish Power party to boost his chances.

The elections committee, made up of members of the outgoing parliament, struck down motions that had sought to bar as racist Jewish Power’s Michael Ben-Ari and Itamar Ben-Gvir, who are adherents of late anti-Arab rabbi Meir Kahane.

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The committee also voted 17-10 to bar Arab party Balad from the election in accordance with a motion filed by Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party. Likud says Balad wants to eliminate Israel as a Jewish state and backs Palestinian and Lebanese militants.

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