The electoral board today invalidated Baruch Marzel from running for Knesset. The vote passed by one vote, 17-16, and Marzel is out, unless the Supreme Court overturns it on appeal.
While Zoabi was kicked out by a large majority, 27-6, Marzel was kicked out by a razor thin margin of 17-16.
With Marzel out, assuming it stands (which might not be the case), means the top 4 slots of Yachad are going to be filled by Eli Yishai's party members. The fourth slot will now be held by Sasson Terebelsi. The next slot, #5 on the list, will be an Otzma member who moves up a notch - Rav Amital Barali.
According to the results of a search (I am not personally familiar with him), it seems Rabbi Barali has sat in jail for calling on soldiers to ignore orders during the Disengagement.
I don't know if the Left considers him any better than Baruch Marzel, but they just might have gotten him into the Knesset. Marzel might be more of a symbol of racism, which Barali might not be, so maybe they'll be ok with it.
The bigger problem is that now Yachad's top 4 slots are filled with Yishai's people and no Otzma people. With them polling at 3-5 seats, an Otzma person might not be realistic in some people's eyes, and maybe the chardalim from Habayit Hayehudi who were supporting Yachad might leave, or Otzma supporters might leave.
One good thing, in my opinion, is that Dudi Shwamenfeld, previously number 7 on the joint list, now moves up to 6, making his entry into the Knesset slightly more realistic. It is still beyond the current polling, but it does increase his chances. I like Shwamenfeld and would like to see him in the Knesset.
So, it seems that invalidating Marzel causes more of an issue than just for Marzel himself.
------------------------------------------------------
Reach thousands of readers with your ad by advertising on Life in Israel
------------------------------------------------------
