Israeli Politician Backs Disqualification of Arab Party Leader from Knesset Race

Gadi Eisenkot, chairman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, announced his support for disqualifying Sami Abu Shehadeh, the leader of the Balad party, from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The disqualification request was filed with the Central Elections Committee by the Otzma Yehudit party and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

Yisrael Beiteinu stated that Abu Shehadeh's article, published in Arabic on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack, cannot be erased by a subsequent clarification. The party noted that the article defined the attack as a "historically important event militarily, politically, and strategically," even though the scale of the atrocities was already known. Eisenkot's support is symbolic, as his party has no representatives on the Central Elections Committee.

The disqualification request, filed by attorneys for Otzma Yehudit, argues that Abu Shehadeh's statements and actions justify his disqualification due to support for armed struggle against Israel and denial of its existence as a Jewish and democratic state. These are two of the three grounds for disqualification under Israeli law, alongside incitement to racism.

The Attorney General and State Prosecutor informed the Elections Committee that there is a prima facie evidentiary basis suggesting Abu Shehadeh's support for armed struggle by a terror organization against Israel. While they did not explicitly call for his disqualification, they urged the committee to "consider the disqualification request with utmost seriousness," noting that his explanations did not sufficiently allay concerns that his article expressed support for armed conflict.

Abu Shehadeh, who is running third on the joint list of Hadash, Ta'al, and Balad, argued in his response that he was unaware of the full extent of the massacre when he wrote the article and would not have published it had he known. He denied inciting violence or supporting the October 7th attack, asserting the article was a political analysis. Adalah Center, representing Abu Shehadeh, contends his actions do not meet the high evidentiary threshold for disqualification, emphasizing his condemnation of harm to innocents and his non-violent political struggle.