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Excluding Ra’am and the Joint List leaves Palestinian citizens in Israel without major Knesset representation options.

Israel’s Central Elections Committee has voted to bar both main Arab electoral lists from next month’s election, putting the political representation of Palestinian citizens of Israel before the Supreme Court weeks before voters go to the polls.

The committee voted on Wednesday to disqualify the United Arab List, or Ra’am, led by Mansour Abbas, and the Joint List, an alliance of the Arab-led Hadash, Ta’al and Balad parties. It also voted separately to bar Hadash legislator Ofer Cassif and Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh. The election is scheduled for October 27.

The bans are not final. Decisions against individual candidates require Supreme Court approval, while lists can appeal their exclusion. Adalah, the legal centre representing the parties and candidates, says it will challenge the votes when the court hears the cases next week.

Ra’am called its exclusion “political and unacceptable”, saying the decision was intended to prevent it from influencing the balance of power and changing the government.

The Joint List said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir were trying to discourage Arab citizens from voting “because they fear our ability to bring down the government of genocide and racism”. Its leader, Yousef Jabareen, questioned how the committee could bar parties representing more than 1.25 million voters.

Abu Shehadeh told Al Jazeera that his exclusion was an attempt to silence criticism of government policy and said the decisions would be challenged in court and through public protest. Rejecting the allegation that he supports violence, he told The Times of Israel: “I have never called for violence or terrorism. I oppose armed struggle.”

The petitions invoke Section 7A of Basic Law: The Knesset, which allows a list or candidate to be excluded for denying Israel’s existence as a “Jewish and democratic state”, inciting racism or supporting armed struggle against Israel by an enemy state or an organisation designated as terrorist.

Netanyahu’s Likud party sought to disqualify the Joint List and Cassif, and was among the groups that filed against Ra’am. Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party also sought to bar Abu Shehadeh. Adalah disputes the allegations. It says the case against Ra’am presents no evidence that the party supports armed struggle, while the Joint List petition relies heavily on old material, including bills proposed in previous Knessets.

Abu Shehadeh’s case has drawn a different response. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara found no legal basis to exclude the other targeted parties and candidates but said an article he published on October 8, 2023, which she said may constitute support for armed struggle, warranted serious examination. The committee voted 31-4 to bar him. Adalah says the article contains no such call.

The push to bar Abu Shehadeh drew support from parties outside Netanyahu’s coalition. According to The Times of Israel, opposition parties voted to disqualify him, as did Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the elections committee. The vote broke with decades of precedent in which committee chairs abstained from disqualification votes. Abu Shehadeh’s exclusion still requires approval from the full Supreme Court.

Why the Arab vote matters

Ra’am joined the coalition government formed by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid in 2021, helping end Netanyahu’s 12 consecutive years in office in 2021, although Abbas had previously discussed cooperation with Netanyahu as well. Now Likud itself has filed petitions against Arab representation, while Ben-Gvir’s party has pursued separate exclusions.

A Channel 12 poll published on Tuesday projected seven seats for the Joint List and five for Ra’am, against 50 for Netanyahu’s current coalition bloc. The 12 projected Arab seats would not automatically back Netanyahu’s opponents, as mainstream opposition parties remain divided over whether to govern with Arab support. But removing both lists would change the possible routes to the 61-seat majority needed to form a government.

The Supreme Court has overturned previous committee bans on Arab lists and candidates, including Balad’s exclusion in 2022. It must now decide whether the evidence meets the legal threshold for barring the two principal lists seeking to represent Palestinian citizens of Israel. The ruling will determine who can appear on the October ballot.

So what about the crocodiles?

They’re not mentioned anywhere in the latest update from the IOC and World Rowing and they weren’t referenced in the media release about the technical assessment. That report itself has not yet been made public.

The safety management plan for this weekend’s school regatta does however mention the word “crocodile” 28 times.

“The Fitzroy River is within recognised crocodile country,” it says.

“Event planning must therefore assume that a crocodile sighting is possible… No natural waterway in crocodile country can be guaranteed to be crocodile-free.”

Procedures this weekend include suspending racing and competitors returning to the bank if a croc is spotted. The official signal for a sighting is the call of “crocodile, crocodile, crocodile”.

Asked specifically about crocodiles, New Zealand’s Wickham told the BBC the primary concern was ensuring the “fairest possible course” for rowers. “We would obviously expect any course chosen to be safe for rowers,” he added.

The company owned by Australia’s richest person Gina Rinehart, Hancock Prospecting, which supported Rockhampton’s bid and has pumped tens of millions of dollars into sports including rowing, pointed to “fake media” concerns about risks posed by flooding and crocodiles in the Fitzroy.

“The people of Rocky for many years have sent their own children to train in this river, and for competitions, without a single crocodile incident,” a spokesperson said in a statement.

And those who argue the tabloid-friendly crocodile debate is overblown, say the biggest of the creatures live downstream. The less-dangerous freshwater crocodiles are more likely to be spotted in the rowing arena, they say.

Also contested by government is the flood risk, though Rowing Queensland’s O’Loughlin says that their schools event was due to be held on the Fitzroy in August 2024, but had to be moved after the course was washed away.

Brisbane 2032’s chief executive has said organisers are making contingency plans “as we would for any venue”.

The 2000 Olympics venue in Sydney is ready and waiting as a backup – though that would be unconscionable for Queenslanders.

The Emmy Awards take place in Los Angeles on Monday, with The Pitt, Hacks and Beef among the shows competing for trophies.

Many of this year’s prizes have already been handed out at the earlier Creative Arts Emmys, leaving only the most high-profile categories for the big night.

Here are the nominations for the main ceremony in full. This list will be updatied live throughout the night.

Drama series

Comedy series

Limited or anthology series

Lead actor in a drama series

Lead actress in a drama series

Lead actor in a comedy series

Lead actress in a comedy series

Lead actor in a limited or anthology series or movie

Lead actress in a limited or anthology series or movie

Supporting actor in a drama series

Supporting actress in a drama series

Supporting actor in a comedy series

Supporting actress in a comedy series

Reality competition programme

Variety series

Outstanding writing for a drama series

Outstanding writing for a comedy series

Outstanding directing for a drama series

Outstanding directing for a comedy series

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index rose on Monday, gaining 13.89 points, or 0.13 percent, to close at 10,878.46.

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR4.19 billion ($1.12 billion), as 78 of the listed stocks advanced, while 182 retreated.

The MT30 Index also rose, gaining 1.38 points, or 0.09 percent, to close at 1,460.13.

The Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu slipped 78.28 points or 0.36 percent to close at 21,500.91. This comes as 25 of the listed stocks advanced, while 46 retreated.

Top performers

The best-performing stock was Saudi Arabia Refineries Co., surging by 9.98 percent to close at SR58.95.

Other top performers included Wafrah for Industry and Development Co., which saw its share price rise by 6.25 percent to SR22.77, and Mutakamela Insurance Co., up 4.72 percent to SR13.32.

Worst performers

On the downside, the worst performer of the day was Riyadh Cement Co., whose share price fell by 4.91 percent to SR22.46.

Armah Sports Co. and Advanced Building Industries Co. also saw declines, with their shares dropping by 4.18 percent and 3.66 percent to SR68.85 and SR27.34, respectively.

Arabian Drilling signs 8 more land rigs

On the announcement front, Arabian Drilling Co. announced the signing of a new five-year contract with SLB for the provision of eight additional land rigs for Gas LSTK operations.

The agreement adds approximately SR2 billion to the company’s backlog, following its previously announced five-year contract with SLB covering 11 existing land rigs.

Together, the two contracts add approximately SR5 billion to backlog, taking Arabian Drilling’s total backlog to a record SR16 billion, the highest in its history, and constituting the largest Gas LSTK commitment ever secured by the Company.

The financial impact of the new contract is expected to begin reflecting on the company’s results starting from the final quarter of 2026.

Arabian Drilling Co.’s shares rose 2.99 percent to close at SR96.35.

RIYADH: Saudi Arabia’s Tadawul All Share Index slipped on Sunday, losing 142.70 points, or 1.30 percent, to close at 10,864.57. 

The total trading turnover of the benchmark index was SR3.83 billion ($1.02 billion), as 42 of the stocks advanced and 221 retreated.   

Similarly, the Kingdom’s parallel market Nomu lost 53.44 points, or 0.25 percent, to close at 21,579.19. This comes as 25 of the stocks advanced while 47 retreated.   

The MSCI Tadawul Index lost 18.52 points, or 1.25 percent, to close at 1,458.75.     

Top gainers, losers 

The best-performing stock of the day was Armah Sports Co., whose share price surged 9.95 percent to SR71.85.   

Other top performers included Arriyadh Development Co., whose share price rose 5.68 percent to SR16.75, as well as Saudi Reinsurance Co., whose share price surged 3.67 percent to SR28.82.

Saudi Aramco Base Oil Co. recorded the most significant drop, falling 9.97 percent to SR127.30. 

Knowledge Economic City also saw its stock price fall 5.08 percent to SR18.88. 

Allied Cooperative Insurance Group also saw its stock price decline 4.96 percent to SR7.85. 

Corporate announcements 

TAM Development Co. received an amendment letter to the award letter for the “Provision of Advisory Services for Community Engagement and Event Management for Green Riyadh Program” project, awarded by the Royal Commission for Riyadh City. 

According to a Tadawul statement, the amendment involves the cancellation of an operational line item and will not affect the project’s overall profit margins. The total contract value has therefore been revised to SR12.5 million, inclusive of VAT, while the remaining scope of work will continue under the amended contract with no other changes. 

The financial impact will be reflected in the company’s financial results based on implementation progress and the periods in which the related revenue and costs are recognized. The ultimate impact on net profit will depend on the costs associated with the excluded scope and those incurred in completing the remaining work. The company said it will announce any material developments in due course. 

TAM Development ended the session at SR59.50, down 0.25 percent. 

Anmat Technology for Trading Co. announced the signing of a SR51 million contract with the Oversight and Anti-Corruption Authority, or Nazaha, to supply and install specialized equipment at one of the authority’s premises. 

According to a bourse filing, the contract has a duration of 150 days. 

Anmat Technology for Trading Co. ended the session at SR9, down 3.33 percent.