The Knesset plenum approved in preliminary readings today, Wednesday, a racist bill that makes it difficult for Arab citizens to run in local authority elections. The bill constitutes an amendment to the Local Authorities Law.

The bill was supported by 51 Knesset members and opposed by 11 members. It expands the possibility of disqualifying a list or individuals from running in local authority elections, on the pretext of supporting, through actions or words, “the armed struggle of an enemy state or a terrorist organization” against Israel. It is worth noting that Israel’s interpretation of the word “terrorism” is broad, vague, and arbitrary.

The bill will be transferred to the Knesset's Interior and Environmental Protection Committee, and was initiated by Likud MK Hanoch Milevitsky.

The bill stipulates the dismissal of a member of a municipal council if the council decides that he supported the armed struggle against Israel. This requires the support of a majority of 75% of the council members, 10% of whom must be opposition members, and the approval of the Supreme Court to dismiss the member of the municipal council.

The racist bill stated in its rationale that “the mandate of supporters of terrorism, armed struggle and racism against the State of Israel in local authorities, who express support and backing for the murder of Jews and Israelis and acts of violence and hatred, is contradictory.”

The bill added that the amendment comes "in order to adapt the Local Authorities Elections Law to the legislation related to the Knesset elections," after the Knesset plenum approved in a preliminary reading last month a bill that expands the grounds for disqualifying candidates in the Knesset elections, with the aim of preventing Arab citizens from running for the Knesset.