Video Surfaces of Balad Chairman Sami Abed Al-Fatah's Remarks Post-October 7th Attack

A video posted by Balad party chairman Sami Abed Al-Fatah on TikTok just three days after the October 7th Hamas attack has resurfaced, complicating his legal battle against disqualification from the Knesset. The report by Kan News indicates that in the video, Al-Fatah did not name Hamas as responsible for the assault, nor did he condemn the murders, kidnappings, or attacks on civilians and security forces. Instead, his focus was on criticizing Israel.

Al-Fatah's remarks in the video echoed sentiments from an article that led to his initial disqualification. He stated, "Our hearts are with the families of the martyrs, the wounded, and all the families of the innocent victims, and we will especially remember our people in the Negev." However, the video notably omitted any mention of Hamas's atrocities or the harm inflicted on Israeli civilians and security personnel.

He further criticized Israel, saying, "We hear racist, barbaric, and inhuman incitement from the political and military leadership in Israel towards our people, and especially towards the residents of Gaza. We hear terms like genocide, ethnic cleansing, cutting off electricity and water, and massacre, in addition to extreme incitement and the murder of our people in the [West] Bank and Jerusalem." Al-Fatah also claimed that "there are also threats against us Palestinians internally, and especially against the residents of the historic Palestinian cities and mixed cities."

The video gains significance as the Supreme Court is set to review the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify Al-Fatah. He had previously claimed he was unaware of the full extent of the October 7th events when writing the article. However, this video, published three days after the attack, frames it as a significant political event while simultaneously criticizing Israel, potentially undermining his defense.