Israel's Attorney General Sees No Grounds to Bar Most Parties from Elections

Israel's Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, has informed the Central Elections Committee that she sees no legal basis to disqualify the majority of parties and candidates seeking to run in the upcoming Knesset elections. This includes parties such as "Datzionut Datit," "Zeut," "Democratim," Ra'am, "Otzma Yehudit," and "Balad," as well as Knesset Member Ofer Cassif.

However, Baharav-Miara stated that there are legal grounds to disqualify candidate Sami Abu Shehadeh. The primary reason cited is an article he published on October 8, 2023, expressing support for "armed struggle by a terrorist organization against the State of Israel." According to the Attorney General and the State Prosecutor, Abu Shehadeh's written explanations did not sufficiently refute the claim that his article supported armed struggle against Israel at a critical time.

The Attorney General advised the Central Elections Committee to seriously consider the disqualification request for Abu Shehadeh at its upcoming session, adhering to established legal criteria and considering his arguments. Abu Shehadeh had requested a postponement of the hearing due to a hospital stay following an injury, but Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg denied this, citing tight deadlines. The hearing is scheduled for September 23-24, and Abu Shehadeh will be able to participate via Zoom.

The petition to disqualify Abu Shehadeh was filed by the "Otzma Yehudit" party. The Central Elections Committee meetings to discuss disqualification requests for parties and candidates for the 26th Knesset are scheduled for September 23-24.