Gadi Eisenkot's Party Backs Disqualification of Arab MK Sami Abou Shehadeh

The "Yisrael" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, announced its support for disqualifying Sami Abou Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The party stated that Abou Shehadeh's remarks following the October 7th Hamas attacks crossed the legal threshold, specifically citing his description of the assault as a "historically important event militarily, politically, and strategically." The "Yisrael" party emphasized that such statements cannot be erased by a clarification post, especially given an article Abou Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, where he wrote that if "little, besieged Gaza" could achieve such an attack, others could do so more effectively. The party reiterated that supporting armed struggle by a terror organization against Israel is grounds for disqualification, a line they believe Abou Shehadeh crossed.

The petition to disqualify Abou Shehadeh was initially filed by the Otzma Yehudit party and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. The Central Elections Committee was scheduled to discuss the petition on Wednesday. However, Abou Shehadeh requested a postponement, citing an injury and hospitalization, and asked to participate in the hearing via Zoom or to have the hearing rescheduled to September 24th. Otzma Yehudit reacted sharply to the request, with Ben-Gvir suggesting Abou Shehadeh was "shaking" and playing games.

In response to the disqualification request, Abou Shehadeh stated that had he known the extent of the atrocities at the time of writing his article, he would not have published it. He maintained that he never called for violence, did not support the October 7th events, and does not justify them. The "Yisrael" party concluded its statement by affirming the right of Arab citizens to full political representation, but stressed that support for armed struggle against the state cannot be legitimized on the path to the Knesset.