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

The "Yisrael Beiteinu" party, led by former IDF Chief of Staff Gadi Eisenkot, announced its support for disqualifying Arab lawmaker Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The party cited Abu Shehadeh's statement on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas massacre, where he described the attack as a "historically important event militarily, politically, and strategically." The party stated that such remarks, made when hundreds of Israelis were known to be murdered and taken hostage, cannot be erased by a clarification post nearly three years later.

Discussions regarding the disqualification of lists and candidates for the 26th Knesset are scheduled to take place on Tuesday and Wednesday, chaired by the head of the Central Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg. While Abu Shehadeh's candidacy is under review, other significant lists also facing potential disqualification include Ra'am, Otzma Yehudit, HaDemocratim, Religious Zionism, and Zehut, along with all Arab sector parties. The candidacy of Ofer Cassif is also being considered.

Yisrael Beiteinu's position is that Abu Shehadeh's statements crossed the legal threshold set by Basic Law: The Knesset, which prohibits supporting an armed struggle by a terror organization against the State of Israel. The party emphasized that the test is not his later declarations but his actual words and their meaning published immediately following the massacre.