JERUSALEM, Jan. 29 (Xinhua) -- Israeli parliamentary committee barred on Wednesday an Arab lawmaker from running in the upcoming national elections.
After a tensed discussion, the parliament's Central Elections Committee decided to disqualify Heba Yazbak, a lawmaker with Balad, a national Palestinian party that calls for full rights for Israel's Arab citizens.
Right-wing lawmakers accused Yazbak during the discussion of expressing support to "terrorists" and attacks against Israeli soldiers.
Yazbak told the committee that she expressed support for integrating former Palestinian prisoners in society and did not support terrorism.
The Joint List denounced the committee's decision, saying in a statement that the decision "proves once again that the committee is nothing but a political circus."
The Election Committee also barred the party of Larisa Trembovler-Amir, wife of Yigal Amir, the assassin of Israel's former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. Trembovler-Amir first registered her new party earlier in January, calling for a retrial for Amir, who is serving in prison a life sentence without parole.
The Central Elections Committee authorizes parties and candidates ahead of votes. The committee is made up of lawmakers from several political parties and chaired by a Supreme Court justice.
The committee attempted several times in the past to bar Arab parties and lawmakers from running for alleged "disloyalty" to Israel, but its decisions were overruled by the Supreme Court on appeal.
Israel's next national election will be held on March 2.
