The committee, made up of representatives from parties in the current Parliament, voted 16-15 against motions to disqualify Jewish Power party leaders Michael Ben Ari and Itamar Ben Gvir. Israel's central elections committee has rejected a motion to bar two members of an extreme Jewish nationalist party from running in April's parliamentary vote. The committee on Wednesday upheld the candidacy of Michael Ben Ari and Itamar Ben Gvir, leaders in the Jewish Power party. In 2012, the U.S. refused to give Ben Ari an entrance visa, saying he was involved in a terror organization. Netanyahu’s move has been widely criticized in Israel, and has even drawn scorn from pro-Israel American Jewish organizations, such as AIPAC and the American Jewish Committee.

Source: thestar March 06, 2019 16:42 UTC