Supreme Court Hears Cases to Disqualify Arab Candidates and Lists
Translated & summarized from Alarab by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Supreme Court reviews disqualification of Arab candidates and lists.
- Far-right politician Ben-Gvir confronts judges and candidate Abu Shehadeh.
- Candidate Abu Shehadeh denies supporting violence, clarifies past statements.
- Disqualifications stem from Central Elections Committee decisions.
- Court's ruling will determine election participation.
Israel's Supreme Court convened on Thursday to review decisions by the Central Elections Committee to disqualify several Arab candidates and lists from running in the upcoming 26th Knesset elections. The candidates and lists facing potential disqualification include Sami Abu Shehadeh, head of the National Democratic Alliance, and Knesset Member Ofer Cassif, as well as the Joint List and the United Arab List.
The hearings followed the Central Elections Committee's September 23, 2026, decision to ban Abu Shehadeh, Cassif, and the two lists. The Supreme Court's ruling will determine their fate in the elections.
Specific hearing times were scheduled throughout the day: Sami Abu Shehadeh at 10:00 AM, Ofer Cassif at 11:30 AM, the Joint List at 2:00 PM, and the United Arab List at 3:30 PM.
Far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir attended the hearing for Sami Abu Shehadeh, representing the Otzma Yehudit party. During the session, Ben-Gvir stated, "They want to kill us all," and when questioned by a judge, identified "terrorists and Sami Abu Shehadeh and those who support them." Judges cautioned Ben-Gvir against making generalizations towards Arabs.
Justice Khaled Kabub recalled Abu Shehadeh's previous condemnations of the October 7 attacks, countering Ben-Gvir's claims. Ben-Gvir questioned the judges about how they would face soldiers if Abu Shehadeh were elected to the Knesset.
The proceedings also saw a confrontation between judges and Ben-Gvir's lawyer regarding changes to election law and disqualification criteria, touching upon the broader debate over the Supreme Court's powers and the government's judicial overhaul plans. One judge criticized a remark about the use of Arabic, affirming it as a natural language and not a conspiracy.
Sami Abu Shehadeh addressed the court, clarifying that a statement attributed to him was misrepresented and that his intention was to warn against violence. He asserted his lifelong opposition to violence, citing his upbringing in Lod and his awareness of October 7 victims. Abu Shehadeh and MK Cassif, along with their legal representatives from Adalah, were expected to issue statements to the media after their respective hearings.
Read the original at AlarabMentioned
