Ben-Gvir Confronts Arab Lawmaker Over Post-Oct 7 Article at Election Committee

The Central Elections Committee convened on Tuesday to discuss a request to disqualify Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. A heated confrontation erupted during the hearing between Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and Abu Shehadeh concerning an article the latter published following the October 7th Hamas attacks.

Ben-Gvir directly challenged Abu Shehadeh, stating, "Even if you knew about ten percent of the atrocities, so what? If after these events there isn't a unanimous disqualification, I don't know what can be grounds for disqualification." Ben-Gvir also criticized state systems, declaring, "I blame Abu Shehadeh, and the state's systems that allowed this to happen. From within the Knesset, a terror supporter wants to incite."

Abu Shehadeh defended himself during the proceedings, asserting that he has never supported armed struggle against Israel and has always chosen paths of peace and persuasion. The committee's discussion centered on the content of his article published after the October 7th massacre.