Israeli Minister Ben-Gvir, Arab Lawmakers Trade Insults Outside Supreme Court

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir engaged in a heated verbal confrontation with Arab lawmakers Ahmad Tibi and Ofer Cassif on Thursday morning outside the Supreme Court. The exchange occurred just before a critical hearing on the disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh, head of the Balad party, from running in the upcoming Knesset elections.

Ben-Gvir aggressively addressed Tibi and Cassif, calling them "the front line of terror in the Knesset" and "terrorists" whom he would "throw out of the Knesset." Ahmad Tibi retorted with a harsh insult, "Every dog has its day." Cassif and another lawmaker, Yousef Jabareen, also responded fiercely, labeling Ben-Gvir "a small, filthy Nazi."

The confrontation highlights the intense political tensions surrounding candidate disqualifications ahead of the elections. The Supreme Court hearing, presided over by Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit with a panel of nine justices, concerns the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify Abu Shehadeh based on support for armed struggle or terrorist organizations against Israel. This decision was based on an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack.

The Attorney General and State Attorney have informed the Supreme Court that they support Abu Shehadeh's disqualification, arguing his article expresses support for Hamas's armed struggle and that his behavior falls under the grounds for disqualification stipulated in Basic Law: The Knesset, especially given the "extreme circumstances and timing."

This hearing is one of four related to decisions by the Central Elections Committee for the 26th Knesset. In addition to Abu Shehadeh, Ofer Cassif, the Joint List, and the Ra'am party were also disqualified by the committee. Notably, the head of the Elections Committee, Judge Noam Sohlberg, voted in favor of disqualifying Abu Shehadeh. Prominent political figures including Yair Golan, Naama Lazimi, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid, Avigdor Lieberman, Benny Gantz, and Gabi Ashkenazi also expressed support for the disqualifications.