It comes after the slate published an advert suggesting that husbands could register on behalf of their wives and children to vote – a breach of the WZO rules, which require each voter to register individually and sign up for the Jerusalem Programme.
The advert encouraged people to attend a north London buffet reception where they could be able to register for the WZO elections online. It stated: “Husbands can register wives & any children 18+. Please bring their ID.”
The leaflet suggested that husbands could register wives and any children over 18, a breach of the WZO rules[Missing Credit]
At the advertised event, people could sign up for the Jerusalem Programme and pay the £1 fee, enabling them to vote in the elections. The Programme outlines the core values of the WZO, including support for Aliyah, fostering Jewish unity, strengthening the State of Israel, and, in a more recent clause, backing enlistment in the IDF – something some in the Charedi community oppose.
Several complaints about the advert were submitted to the AEC. A spokesperson for EHK later told The Times of Israel that the flyer was “poorly worded” and rushed out before Shabbat.
“We do not condone any attempt to register individuals in absentia, and any such actions are contrary to our guidelines and expectations,” an EHK representative said. “This was not a deliberate act on our part. The error was the result of urgency and time pressure, not intent.”
The UK election, originally scheduled for June 8-12, was postponed to next month after irregularities in the registration process were flagged.
Five allegations of rule breaches were brought against EHK. Of these, three were dismissed.
But one charge of voter fraud – involving a man who registered and voted on behalf of his wife and daughter – was upheld. A second allegation, that the slate had encouraged such activity via a distributed flyer, was also found to be valid.
Damon Lenszner, deputy co-chair of the AEC and a member of the Herut UK slate, attended the 2.5-hour meeting on Monday. “There wasn’t any chance of it going another way,” he told the JC.
Lenszner said an enquiry led by British barrister Tim Kendal reviewed the evidence over two days and concluded that EHK had encouraged improper voter registrations.
“According to WZO rules and the election committee's guidelines, we were left with no choice,” he said. “They were trying to get people registered without them doing it personally.”
He added that evidence showed the slate had “actively advertised and encouraged” registration of family members, in breach of election rules.
“The election committee is also digging into data that suggests an ongoing problem with proxy votes,” Lenszner added. “It’s a separate matter, but it’s pretty widespread.”
If EHK proceeds with an appeal, it will first go to the Central Election Committee in Jerusalem and could then be referred to the Zionist Supreme Court.
According to Lenszner, there is no known precedent for a slate being thrown out of a UK WZO election. “If they contest the decision, it will drag on and on,” he said, though he expressed hope that the July election dates would still be possible.
“The Supreme Court is dealing with dozens of similar cases from around the world, but there are stages we must go through before it gets there.”
A separate charge against the Mizrachi slate was also dismissed by the AEC.
To register for the WZO elections, voters must pay £1, provide proof of identity and agree to the Jerusalem Programme.
Britain has just 19 out of 525 seats at the Congress, which is dominated by Israeli and American delegates. The WZO Congress is due to meet in October in Jerusalem and helps to allocate £750 million annually through its stakes in the Jewish Agency and Jewish National Fund.
More than 12,000 people are understood to have registered to vote, a dramatic increase from the few hundred who are believed to have taken part in the UK’s last contested WZO vote in 2006. Typically, UK groups have negotiated seat allocations behind closed doors and based on membership numbers rather than going to the ballot.
In support of EHK, a UK Likud spokesperson said: “Following Monday night's meeting of the AEC, which voted to exclude Eretz Hakodesh from the UK’s WZO elections, we place on record our opposition to this decision. Our official representative on the AEC voted against this motion at Monday night's meeting.
“While we of course are against unfair practices being used by any party (and indeed voted to this effect on another motion), there are serious issues with the investigation which led to this decision. We raised these at the meeting but were not given satisfactory answers.
“Eretz Hakodesh was not given a right of reply to the investigation nor the chance to put their opinions on the record before the investigatory committee came to its decision. This is simply unfair and is not normal or correct practice for an independent investigation.
“We also have profound concerns about the consequences of this decision on the representative quality of these elections. Eretz Hakodesh legitimately represents large sections of the Charedi community and these voters have the right to have their views heard in this election, as does everyone. It is undemocratic for the AEC to simply decide to cancel all of these votes and thereby disenfranchise such a large sector of the UK’s Jewish community.
“We believe in free, fair and democratic elections. The decision to exclude Eretz Hakodesh undermines this.
“UK Likud supports future action to override this decision and thereby restore fairness and credibility to the WZO elections in the UK, free from any form of political or other bias.”
