Israel's Attorney General Urges Supreme Court to Bar Arab Lawmaker Candidate

Israel's Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Prosecutor Amit Issman have informed the Supreme Court that Sami Abu Shehadeh, a candidate for the Knesset, should be disqualified from running. The legal officials cited Abu Shehadeh's support for armed struggle against Israel, particularly in the context of the October 7th Hamas attack, as grounds for disqualification.

In a filing submitted Tuesday, they argued that an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas assault began and while it was ongoing, expressed support for Hamas's armed struggle against Israel. They stated that Abu Shehadeh's actions are at the core of the disqualification clause in Israel's Basic Law: The Knesset.

Baharav-Miara and Issman also contended that Abu Shehadeh's subsequent explanations for his statements were disingenuous and incomplete, failing to address the central allegations against him. This stance marks a reversal from their initial position to the Central Elections Committee, where they had refrained from explicitly recommending disqualification, instead urging the committee to "seriously consider" the request.

The Central Elections Committee, headed by Justice Noam Sohlberg, had previously approved the disqualification of Abu Shehadeh, along with other candidates. The Supreme Court is expected to hear the case on Thursday.

In preparation for the Supreme Court hearing, lawyers for National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir and the Otzma Yehudit party submitted additional evidence. They claim this evidence proves Abu Shehadeh lied to the elections committee and continued to support Hamas throughout the war. The submitted materials include a video from three days after the massacre where Abu Shehadeh allegedly described the attack as a "significant political-strategic event" without condemning it, praised "martyrs," and a podcast transcript where he called Hamas's war "steadfastness" and "legendary."