JERUSALEM (VINnews) — Officials close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu are currently advancing a complex and unprecedented move aimed at disqualifying the United Arab List party from participating in the next Knesset elections. As first reported yesterday by Channel 13 News, the move is already in advanced stages, although no exact election date has yet been set.

According to information from two sources very close to Netanyahu, internal discussions in the Prime Minister’s circle focused on leading a legal and political effort to designate the “Islamic Movement – Southern Branch,” the official parent movement of Ra’am, as a terrorist organization.

The main basis for the new development, according to those same sources, is the Islamic Movement’s activity in transferring money and donations to the Gaza Strip during the war, something viewed in the Prime Minister’s circle as solid security and legal grounds for disqualification.

To carry out the plan, the move would require a combination of two parallel tracks: promoting particular legislation in the Knesset, alongside obtaining official security opinions from the relevant security agencies, chiefly the Israel Security Agency (Shin Bet). It should be noted that the Prime Minister’s Office has not yet issued an official response to the report.

Ra’am chairman MK Mansour Abbas sharply responded to the reports about efforts to disqualify his party. Abbas directly accused Netanyahu and also sent a warning message to the security establishment.

“Netanyahu seeks to decide the upcoming elections by disqualifying Ra’am in an anti-democratic manner,” Abbas attacked. “It is the duty of the Shin Bet to act in a statesmanlike and lawful manner and preserve the democratic order and its institutions, not to become a tool in the hands of the political echelon during election season. Our response to this anti-democratic move will be at the ballot box.”