Hadash Candidate Refuses to Withdraw Amid Internal Party Crisis

Jaafar Farah, a candidate for the second position on the Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Hadash) list, has definitively stated he will not withdraw his candidacy. This comes after he was released from the hospital on Sunday evening and amidst a significant internal crisis within the party. The party leadership had previously announced that Farah had officially informed them of his decision to withdraw, a claim he has since refuted.

Farah asserted that the decision to withdraw or confirm his candidacy rests solely with the council that elected him. He sent a brief message to his supporters after leaving the hospital, thanking them for their support and apologizing for his unavailability in the preceding two days.

The internal conflict has intensified as the deadline for submitting electoral lists approaches. Tensions were palpable around a meeting held in Shfaram to elect an alternative candidate, where dozens of Farah's supporters gathered, holding his pictures and protesting against the announcement of his withdrawal, demanding his confirmation for the second spot on the list.

The party is scheduled to hold an extraordinary session on Monday to vote on withdrawing Farah's candidacy, a move he is actively resisting.