Balad Party Leader Admits Post-Oct. 7 Article Was Flawed

Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, admitted in an interview on Thursday that an article he published on October 8, one day after the Hamas attack on southern Israel, was "unsuccessful" and that he "did not understand the whole picture" at the time. Abu Shehadeh was speaking to Kan News on Reshet Bet radio.

He also addressed his disqualification from the Knesset elections by the Central Elections Committee the previous day. Abu Shehadeh criticized the committee's process, stating, "I think this circus of the Central Elections Committee must stop. Regardless of the decision, this composition where political parties can disqualify a competing political party with a different worldview must stop." He affirmed his intention to remain in politics despite the disqualification, asserting, "Of course I will not withdraw. This is a wrong decision. In addition to this unsuccessful article, I have dozens of articles, and my beliefs are known. I am a known figure who fights for the end of the occupation."

When questioned about whether Hamas is a terrorist organization, Abu Shehadeh responded by stating his opposition to terrorism and violence, emphasizing that he has never called for violence. He condemned the October 7 events as "crimes, massacres, and atrocities" that he opposes, carried out by an organization whose policies and activities he rejects. When pressed by the interviewer to repeat the phrase "terrorist organization," Abu Shehadeh rebuked the interviewer, comparing the demand to how one speaks to a young child and stating that a political leader should not be addressed in such a manner.