Balad Party Chair Regrets October 7th Article Amid Disqualification Bid

Sami Abu Shahada, chairman of the Balad party, has responded to a disqualification request filed against him by the Otzma Yehudit party and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The request centers on an article Abu Shahada published on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas attack.

In his response, Abu Shahada stated, "Had I been aware of the extent of the atrocities at the time of writing the article, I would not have published it." He further clarified, "I have never called for violence, I did not support the events of October 7th, and I do not justify them." Abu Shahada asserted that his stance is opposition to harming civilians, whether Israeli or Palestinian, and that his opposition to the war in Gaza and harm to Palestinian civilians does not contradict his opposition to harm to Israeli civilians.

The disqualification request by Otzma Yehudit and Ben-Gvir alleges that Abu Shahada described the Hamas attack in his article as a "historically important event militarily, politically, and strategically," and suggested that others could learn from Gaza's success. Abu Shahada reiterated that "human lives are not forfeit" and described his public path as a "political, public, and non-violent struggle for freedom, justice, and equality."

Balad has previously drawn controversy for security-related issues, including condemning IDF operations and filing a defamation suit against journalist Amit Segal for calling them a "terror organization." The current disqualification request against Abu Shahada is one of several filed during the election cycle; the Democratic Party also petitioned to disqualify Otzma Yehudit.

Abu Shahada heads the Balad party, which recently joined a joint list with Hadash and Ta'al for the upcoming Knesset elections. The Central Elections Committee is expected to discuss the disqualification requests soon.