Election Committee Disqualifies Arab Lawmakers Ofer Cassif and Sami Abu Shehadeh

The Central Elections Committee has disqualified Member of Knesset Ofer Cassif and Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The decisions, reached after heated debates, are expected to be appealed to the High Court of Justice.

During the deliberations, committee members, including Likud representatives, Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, and MK Tally Gotlieb, clashed with representatives of the Attorney General. The disqualifications were based on allegations of supporting armed struggle and making inflammatory statements.

In Cassif's case, 19 committee members voted to disqualify him, while five opposed and two abstained. Arguments against Cassif centered on his alleged calls for a ceasefire during wartime, which opponents claimed amounted to supporting armed conflict. Cassif and his representatives denied the accusations, labeling them political persecution.

Abu Shehadeh, who participated in his hearing via Zoom due to an injury, faced sharp criticism from Minister Ben-Gvir for alleged incitement. A verbal altercation erupted when MK Ahmad Tibi intervened, leading to Ben-Gvir and MK Gotlieb exchanging heated remarks with Tibi, accusing him and Abu Shehadeh of supporting terrorism.

Abu Shehadeh defended himself, stating he never called for violence and apologized for the wording of an article published on October 7th, claiming ignorance of the full extent of the atrocities. However, his explanations were met with strong opposition from right-wing representatives, who argued his statements implicitly endorsed harm to IDF soldiers.