Business As Usual

Israel’s Central Elections Commission has banned Arab parties. Ackerman sighs. Yglesias calls it a "poorly timed PR move." Yaacov Lozowick says that the decision will almost certainly be overturned:

...the Arab parties will run in the upcoming elections, because the final say is the court's. The decision of yesterday's panel is certain to be struck down...yesterday's vote was pure theatre, a win for all sides. The right-wing politicians who initiated the ban showed themselves fierce defenders of Zionist hard-wingery; the Arab MKs got to shout their worst on national TV, hoping this will encourage a larger percent of their own potential constituents to support them. The Left, most vocally Merertz, had the opportunity to distance themselves from the mainstream, which they're having a hard time doing these days because on the main issue, the operation in Gaza, they can't afford to be to critical since even their voters support it. Whoever dislikes the court will soon be given yet another reason to decry how it intervenes. A fine day was had by all.