Balad Party Leader Disqualified by Election Committee

The legal advisor for the Likud party, attorney Ilan Bombach, stated that the disqualification of Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh by the Election Committee was a significant event, as the committee's chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, participated in the vote, a rare occurrence. Bombach believes the Supreme Court will not be able to ignore Sohlberg's participation and his support for the disqualification, which passed with a 31-4 vote.

Bombach dismissed Abu Shehadeh's claim that he was unaware of the extent of the October 7th massacre when he posted about it. "This is a blatant support for a terror organization, immediately after October 7th," Bombach asserted, calling the claim of ignorance "disingenuous, absurd, and delusional." He questioned whether Abu Shehadeh disavowed the massacre once he became aware of its scale, noting that the claim of ignorance only emerged in response to the disqualification petition.

Bombach emphasized that a democracy must protect itself by preventing individuals who support or identify with terrorism from entering the Knesset. He argued that parties and candidates who supported terror, like Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif, and who did not condemn such actions, especially during wartime, should not be allowed to serve in the Israeli parliament. He concluded by stating that Israel, currently fighting for its existence, cannot permit supporters of terror to enter the Knesset.