Otzma Yehudit Demands Criminal Probe Against Arab MK Sami Abu Shehadeh

The Otzma Yehudit party has called for a criminal investigation into Sami Abu Shehadeh, head of the Arab nationalist Balad party, following an article he published on October 8, 2023. This demand coincides with the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify him from running for the Knesset. Otzma Yehudit submitted a request to the Attorney General and the State Prosecutor to investigate Abu Shehadeh, citing suspicions of incitement to terrorism and violence, and sympathy for a terrorist organization. The party based its request on an article Abu Shehadeh published the day after the October 7th Hamas attacks, describing the events as a "significant historical event militarily, politically, and strategically." Abu Shehadeh later stated he was unaware of the full extent of the atrocities and casualties when he wrote the article, and would not have published it had he known the details.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir stated that "anyone who glorifies the Hamas massacre must be investigated and brought to trial." Conversely, Abu Shehadeh has vehemently denied supporting or justifying the October 7th attack, asserting his opposition to harming civilians, whether Palestinian or Israeli. He maintains he did not call for violence or endorse the October 7th events.

The call for an investigation comes as Abu Shehadeh is engaged in a separate legal and political battle over his disqualification from the upcoming elections. The Central Elections Committee had previously decided to disqualify him and MK Ofer Cassif, along with the "Joint List" and "Ra'am" parties. These disqualification decisions are pending review by the Supreme Court. The committee's decision regarding Abu Shehadeh was based on positions and statements deemed legal grounds for disqualification, with reports indicating the decision stemmed from allegations of his support for armed struggle against Israel.

Abu Shehadeh maintains his denial of the accusations, emphasizing his rejection of violence and targeting of civilians, as the criminal investigation request proceeds in parallel with the judicial review of his election disqualification.