Joint List Candidate Withdraws Amid Sexual Harassment Allegations

Jafar Farah, who was slated to run in the upcoming Knesset elections in the fourth position on the Joint List, has withdrawn his candidacy following multiple allegations of sexual harassment. The Hadash party announced his decision on Thursday, stating that Farah stepped down out of a sense of responsibility to support the Joint List and to prevent attempts to harm the party. Hadash stated that Farah has categorically denied all allegations, which he believes are intended to harm him, his family, Hadash, and the Joint List.

Farah's withdrawal comes after six women have reportedly come forward with accusations of sexual harassment and abuse of power against him. These allegations have been documented by the "Women Against Violence" and "A-Swar - Arab Feminist Movement" organizations. Some of these testimonies date back to 2019, while others have been kept confidential to protect the accusers.

The organizations approached Hadash leadership with the allegations in June, presenting examples of testimonies without revealing the women's identities. Following this, Hadash and the Maki party confirmed receiving information about the claims and formed a special team to examine the issue. The team, however, was not a fact-finding committee and was not authorized to determine the truthfulness of the allegations.

Instead, the team focused on the parties' responsibilities and how to address the claims politically, morally, and publicly. In August, the parties adopted the team's recommendations, which included suggesting Farah withdraw his candidacy. Farah initially refused, publishing a personal statement denying the accusations and questioning the timing of their resurfacing.

Hadash announced that new primary elections would be held to fill Farah's vacated spot, with the aim of placing a woman in that position. Farah had been selected second in Hadash's internal primaries, which would have placed him fourth on the Joint List, behind the leaders of Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad.