Amit Segal Slams 'Terror Supporters' in Knesset

Political commentator Amit Segal has sharply criticized Israel's legal and political establishment for allowing individuals he deems "terror supporters" into the Knesset. His remarks come ahead of a High Court of Justice hearing on Thursday concerning the disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh, head of the Balad party, from running for the Knesset. The Attorney General has urged the court to disqualify Abu Shehadeh due to his support for armed struggle against Israel, citing an article he published on October 8, 2023, just one day after the Hamas terror attack.

Segal placed blame on "Israel's judges, advisors, politicians, and journalists" for enabling such figures to enter parliament and normalizing their membership. He argued that the legitimacy granted over the years allowed Abu Shehadeh to feel comfortable writing an article supporting the October 7th massacre while the country faced an existential threat.

Segal also questioned why the Attorney General has not initiated an investigation into Abu Shehadeh if his article constitutes support for terrorism, noting that the technological means for such an investigation exist. The Attorney General's position is that Abu Shehadeh's article unequivocally supports Hamas's armed struggle against Israel and falls under the grounds for disqualification stipulated in the Basic Law: Knesset. The Attorney General dismissed Abu Shehadeh's subsequent explanations as evasive and incomplete.