The High Court of Justice knocked down the appeal of the United Right political party that had requested to have Attorney Itamar Ben-Gvir bumped up from the number eight spot on the list to the more realistic number five spot. The appeal came following the court’s disallowing of Attorney Michael Ben-Ari from running for the Knesset who was in the number five spot representing the Otzma Yehudit party. Ben-Gvir, his running mate, was given a lower spot on the joint list as part of the three-party agreement to run on a joint list.

Judge Noam Solberg ruled that no changes may be allowed to the candidate’s list after they have been submitted to the Central Elections Committee. Should one candidate be disqualified, then the next person on the list takes their place.

Judge Alex Stein, who represented the minority opinion ruled that the court should give the Election Committee the ability to place a candidate from a party in the place of another candidate from that party who had been disqualified. This would allow the list to amend itself as it sees fit should it be possible.

Judge Many Mazoz, who joined the reasoning of Solberg, and ruled that the law negates, clearly and explicitly, the possibilities of changing the order of representatives on any party list, even in the case of one member being nullified.

Ben-Gvir will now be in the number 7 spot for the United Right Wing Parties List having bumped up one spot with the removal of Ben-Ari from the list.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)