Gadi Eisenkot Backs Banning Arab Israeli Lawmaker Over Hamas Attack Remarks

Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar! party announced Tuesday its support for barring Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, from running in the upcoming legislative elections. The move centers on a statement Abu Shehadeh posted on October 8, 2023, the day after Hamas's October 7 attack, calling it a "significant historical event militarily, politically, and strategically." He also wrote that if "besieged little Gaza" could carry out such an operation, others could do so "more effectively and simply." Yashar! contends these remarks were made after the full extent of the massacre and kidnappings was known. The party stated that Abu Shehadeh's subsequent explanations, denying support for the massacre, were insufficient to negate his earlier statements. "The law sets a clear limit: support for the armed struggle of a terrorist organization against Israel is grounds for disqualifying a candidate. For us, Abu Shehadeh crossed that line," Yashar! declared.

Meanwhile, the Blue and White party announced its representatives on the Central Elections Committee would vote to disqualify both Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif. Their justification cites alleged support for terrorist activities and opposition to defining Israel as a Jewish state, though they generally believe voters should choose their representatives. The Attorney General and State Prosecutor offered a more nuanced legal opinion, finding insufficient grounds to disqualify several parties and candidates, including Balad, Otzma Yehudit, Ra'am, and the Democrats. However, regarding Abu Shehadeh personally, they acknowledged that his October 8 statement could be interpreted as support for a terrorist organization's armed struggle against Israel and urged the Elections Committee to consider the disqualification request "with the utmost seriousness."

The Joint List strongly condemned the opposition parties' support for the disqualification process. Its chairman, Youssef Jabareen, accused Gadi Eisenkot of legitimizing the policies of Itamar Ben Gvir and defended the Arab public's right to choose its own representatives.