Election Committee Rejects Delay in Sami Abu Shehadeh Disqualification Hearing
Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg rejected a request by Sami Abu Shehadeh to postpone his election disqualification hearing, ordering participation via Zoom following his hospitalization.
The Central Election Committee chairman, Supreme Court Justice Noam Solberg, rejected on Tuesday a request by Sami Abu Shehadeh to postpone a hearing regarding his disqualification from running in the upcoming elections, following his hospitalization at Rambam Hospital due to an injury.
Disqualification Hearing Context
Abu Shehadeh had asked to postpone the hearing scheduled for Wednesday, September 23, to Thursday morning, arguing that he was hospitalized in the trauma department and expected to be discharged only by Wednesday afternoon. Alternatively, he requested permission to participate via video conference. Justice Solberg ruled that the hearing would remain as scheduled, but allowed Abu Shehadeh to participate via Zoom.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and the State Attorney stated that the evidentiary foundation, particularly an article published by Abu Shehadeh on October 8, 2023, allegedly indicates support for an armed struggle of a terror organization against Israel. According to them, his response to the disqualification request did not satisfactorily explain away that support, and therefore the Central Election Committee should seriously consider the disqualification petition initiated by Otzma Yehudit.
"The day after the massacre, when hundreds of murdered and kidnapped individuals were already known, Abu Shehadeh defined the Hamas attack as 'an important historical event from a military, political, and strategic standpoint'—these words cannot be erased by an explanatory post nearly three years later," stated the Yashar! party.
Political Reactions and Other Candidates
Additionally, the legal authorities stated that there is no legal basis to disqualify a series of other parties and candidates, including Religious Zionism, The Democrats, Ra'am, Otzma Yehudit, Balad, and MK Ofer Cassif. Solberg noted that the tight schedule and the need to submit the concluding document required by the Basic Law of the Knesset dictated keeping the timeline intact. Earlier today, Yashar! party leader Gadi Eisenkot announced his support for disqualifying Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the elections.
