West Jerusalem:Israel The Arab Balad party has decided to withdraw its leader, Sami Abu Shehadeh, from Israel's upcoming general elections scheduled for October 27. This decision followed indications from the Supreme Court that a majority of its judges supported his exclusion.
According to Anadolu Agency, Channel 12 reported that the National Democratic Assembly, also known as Balad and part of the Joint List, agreed with Abu Shehadeh to accept the court's proposal and withdraw from the parliamentary election. The Supreme Court President, Yitzhak Amit, informed Abu Shehadeh that most judges were in favor of maintaining his disqualification.
The Central Elections Committee had previously voted on September 23 to disqualify Abu Shehadeh and another Joint List lawmaker, Ofer Cassif. The committee also moved to exclude the Joint List, led by Yousef Jabareen, and the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, from the election.
The disqualification case against Abu Shehadeh is based on an article he published on October 8, 2023, following a Hamas-led attack on Israeli communities. Right-wing groups, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's Jewish Power party, argued for his exclusion, alleging the article showed support for the attack, an allegation Abu Shehadeh denies.
During the court hearing, Abu Shehadeh stated he did not endorse 'armed struggle' and noted an error in wording within the article, clarifying that he intended to advocate for a political resolution to the conflict. KAN reported that judges found some article passages to provoke 'displeasure and revulsion.'
Adalah, the rights group representing Abu Shehadeh, contended that the disqualification request was based on a single article devoid of any explicit call for armed struggle support. Israel's attorney general, however, backed the move to disqualify him.
A demonstration by Arab lawmakers and supporters took place outside the Supreme Court in West Jerusalem during the disqualification hearings. Ben-Gvir attended the protest, waving an Israeli flag in front of the demonstrators.
Under Israeli electoral rules, the disqualification of an individual candidate requires High Court approval, while decisions barring electoral lists can be appealed. The High Court has previously overturned similar decisions against Arab candidates and parties. Arab citizens represent about 20% of Israel's population and will participate in electing members of the 120-seat Knesset on October 27.