Balad Party Chairman Disqualified from Knesset Election

Israel's Central Elections Committee has disqualified Sami Abu Shehadeh, the chairman of the Balad party, from running in the upcoming Knesset elections. The decision passed with a vote of 31 in favor and 4 against, with the committee's chairman, Judge Noam Sohlberg, unusually voting for disqualification. This unprecedented move follows closely on the heels of the disqualification of MK Ofer Cassif. The request to disqualify Abu Shehadeh was submitted by Itamar Ben-Gvir, leader of the Otzma Yehudit party and a government minister. Ben-Gvir stated that "a terrorist like Sami Abu Shehadeh must not be allowed in the Israeli Knesset. Whoever sits on the day of the massacre to write an article praising the murders, abductions, and rapes of Hamas has his place in the Syrian parliament, not the Israeli one." The disqualifications are part of a marathon review by the Elections Committee of petitions to bar candidates and lists from the 26th Knesset elections. Several other parties and candidates also faced disqualification requests. However, the committee's decisions regarding Cassif and Abu Shehadeh are not final. According to Israeli law, the committee must submit its reasons for disqualification based on Section 7A of the Knesset Basic Law to the Supreme Court for final approval.