Judge Rejects Plea to Delay Knesset Candidacy Hearing for Arab Politician

Central Elections Committee Chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, rejected on Tuesday a request by Arab politician Ofer Kasif (Hadash-Ta'al) to postpone a hearing concerning his disqualification from running for the Knesset. Kasif had claimed he was injured and unable to attend. Sohlberg ruled that the hearing would proceed, stating Kasif could participate via video conference.

Earlier, the Otzma Yehudit party, which initiated the disqualification request, commented that Kasif was "shaking" and seeking delay. The party added that if necessary, they would request to question Kasif even in the hospital, emphasizing the urgency of the proceedings. Otzma Yehudit argued that Kasif had not condemned the October 7th attacks and had written an article about them on October 8th.

Kasif, chairman of the Balad party, has maintained that he unequivocally condemns the October 7th atrocities. He stated that had he been aware of the full extent of the massacre at the time of writing his article, he would not have published it. Kasif asserted his consistent stance against harming civilians, both Palestinian and Israeli, and condemned the October 7th attacks as well as subsequent actions against Gaza residents.