Jewish Power Party Seeks to Disqualify Arab Candidate from Knesset

The Otzma Yehudit party has formally requested the disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the upcoming Knesset elections. The petition, filed by attorneys Ze'ev Wolf and David Bavli, cites two grounds for disqualification under Israeli law: denying Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, and expressing support for armed struggle against it.

The request is primarily based on an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, during the ongoing conflict following the Hamas attacks. In the article, he described the October 7th attack as a "historically significant event militarily, politically, and strategically," and suggested that if "small and besieged Gaza" could achieve it, "others can do it more effectively and simply." The petition alleges that Abu Shehadeh "chose to praise Hamas's actions amidst the national disaster and called on other actors to learn from it and replicate the pattern."

In addition to the article, the petition details other statements made by Abu Shehadeh post-October 7th, including his assertion that "the real battle was decided on October 7th," referring to Hamas's actions as an "epic achievement," and calling Hamas operatives "resistance fighters."

The petitioners also reference past rulings by former Supreme Court presidents. They cite former Chief Justice Esther Hayut's view that the legislative proposals of the Balad party constituted a denial of Israel's core values as a Jewish state. Additionally, they refer to former Chief Justice Aharon Barak's opinion that a candidate supporting armed struggle against the state can be disqualified.

Otzma Yehudit argues that the evidence presented constitutes a clear and sufficient basis for disqualification under the law, especially in light of the October 7th events, leaving no room for interpretation that would nullify the disqualification clause. National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that the Supreme Court has historically approved candidates who support terrorism, and that it is time for a systemic change to prevent "terror supporters from taking over the Knesset."