Gadi Eisenkot's Party Backs Disqualifying Arab MK Sami Abu Shehadeh

The "Yisrael" party, led by Gadi Eisenkot, announced its support for disqualifying Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. While not a voting member of the relevant committee, the party stated that Abu Shehadeh's remarks following the October 7th Hamas attacks crossed the line set by Israel's Basic Law: Knesset. This law prohibits support for armed struggle by a terror organization against Israel.

"Yisrael" pointed to statements Abu Shehadeh made on October 8th, 2023, the day after the massacre, when hundreds of Israelis had already been murdered and taken hostage. At that time, Abu Shehadeh described Hamas's attack as a "historically important event militarily, politically, and strategically." He also added, "If little, besieged Gaza could do this, and at this level, others can do it more effectively and easily."

The party rejected Abu Shehadeh's later claims that he did not support the massacre, asserting that his real-time statements hold more weight. "The test is not the wording he chose on the eve of the decision concerning him, but the things he published the day after the massacre and their meaning. What was written on October 8th cannot be erased by a clarification post almost three years later," the party stated.

"Yisrael" emphasized that the law clearly defines support for armed struggle by a terror organization as grounds for disqualification, a boundary Abu Shehadeh crossed. The party affirmed the full right of Arab citizens of Israel to political representation but stressed that supporting armed struggle by a terror organization cannot be legitimized on the path to the Knesset.