Israeli Attorney General Backs Disqualification of Balad Chair Sami Abu Shehadeh

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman support barring Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from running for the Knesset. In a joint submission to the Supreme Court ahead of Thursday's hearing, they argued that Abu Shehadeh supported armed struggle against Israel, which served as the basis for his disqualification by the Central Elections Committee.

Legal Arguments and Supreme Court Hearing

"The disqualification of Knesset candidate Sami Abu Shehadeh must be upheld due to his support for armed struggle against Israel, including during the October 7 attack, under extreme circumstances and at a most critical time," the officials stated. They emphasized that an article published by Abu Shehadeh on October 8, 2023—one day after the outbreak of the murderous terror assault—demonstrates support for Hamas.

The Central Elections Committee previously disqualified Abu Shehadeh by a vote of 31 to 4. In a rare move, committee chairman Justice Noam Solberg voted in favor of the ban, noting that while committee chairs typically remain neutral, the severity of the circumstances compelled him to break tradition.

"The disqualification is directed against an entire society and seeks to exclude it from the political arena," Abu Shehadeh responded, announcing that he will appeal to the Supreme Court.

Upcoming Judicial Review

A panel of nine Supreme Court justices is scheduled to review the Central Elections Committee decisions on Thursday. The court will evaluate the disqualifications not only of Abu Shehadeh, but also of the Ra'am party, the Joint List, and MK Ofer Cassif.