Israel's Attorney General Backs Disqualification of Arab Lawmaker
Translated & summarized from Arutz Sheva by baba
Israel's Attorney General and State Prosecutor support disqualifying Arab lawmaker Sami Abu Shehadeh from the Knesset due to his alleged support for armed struggle against Israel, citing his statements following the October 7th attack. New evidence, including videos and statements, has been submitted to the Supreme Court by the Otzma Yehudit party.
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Attorney General supports disqualifying MK Sami Abu Shehadeh from Knesset.
- Disqualification is due to alleged support for armed struggle against Israel.
- Statements made after the October 7th Hamas attack are central to the case.
- New evidence submitted by Otzma Yehudit party includes videos and statements.
- Supreme Court to hold a decisive hearing on the matter this Thursday.
Israel's Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, and State Prosecutor, Amit Isman, have informed the Supreme Court that they support the disqualification of Knesset Member Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the upcoming elections. The legal officials stated that Abu Shehadeh's support for armed struggle against Israel, particularly in the context of the October 7th Hamas attack, warrants his disqualification.
In their filing, the Attorney General and State Prosecutor cited an article published by Abu Shehadeh on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack began and while it was ongoing. They argued that the article expressed support for Hamas's armed struggle against Israel and that Abu Shehadeh's conduct falls within the scope of disqualification clauses in Israel's Basic Law: The Knesset.
They further contended that Abu Shehadeh's subsequent explanations for his statements were insufficient and did not adequately address the core allegations against him. The legal filing comes ahead of a crucial Supreme Court hearing on the matter scheduled for Thursday.
Earlier, lawyers for the Otzma Yehudit party, Ze'ev Woolf and David Bavli, submitted an unusual request to the Supreme Court to include new evidence in the case. These lawyers claim that further investigation, prompted by Abu Shehadeh's statements to the Central Elections Committee, has uncovered additional evidence proving he lied to the committee and continued to express support for Hamas throughout the war.
Among the new evidence are a social media video posted three days after the October 7th massacre, where Abu Shehadeh referred to the events as a "significant strategic political event" and a "very big political event," while criticizing Israel and praising "martyrs." The Otzma Yehudit party also seeks to include documentation from a party conference where Abu Shehadeh allegedly mocked Israelis and stated that the October 7th events were a direct result of "daily crimes" against Gazans.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir commented that even the Attorney General could not ignore the evidence presented by Otzma Yehudit, urging the Supreme Court to disqualify Abu Shehadeh. He criticized the Attorney General's office for not gathering the evidence themselves, crediting lawyer David Bavli for the work.
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