Balad Party Decides Sami Abu Shehadeh Will Accept Supreme Court Offer and Withdraw

Sami Abu Shehadeh will accept an offer from Supreme Court justices and withdraw his candidacy for the Knesset, the Balad party announced Thursday. The party seeks to avoid a reasoned ruling that could set a precedent for disqualifying candidates. The decision came after Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit proposed that Abu Shehadeh withdraw his candidacy, and the court would refrain from issuing a detailed judgment confirming his disqualification. Balad aims to prevent a precedent where a candidate can be disqualified based on isolated statements, rather than a "critical mass" of remarks. The decision follows a day of hearings at the Supreme Court concerning appeals against the disqualification of Abu Shehadeh, Ofer Cassif, the Joint List, and Ra'am from the elections, heard by an expanded panel of nine justices. During the hearing for Abu Shehadeh, Justice Alex Stein referenced an article he published on October 8, stating, "When my colleague Justice Kasher and I read the article Abu Shehadeh wrote on 8.10 in real-time and spontaneously, we learn he supports terror. The 'after the fact' explanations are what's known as 'cheap talk'." Abu Shehadeh's lawyer, Hassan Jabareen, argued that the statement "October 7 is a historic and strategic event" does not constitute support for armed struggle. Justice Daphna Barak-Erez questioned how a "shocking article expressing detachment" from the events of October 7 aligns with strict disqualification standards. Justice Stein also asked Abu Shehadeh if he had ever written in English that Hamas is a terrorist organization, to which Abu Shehadeh replied, "There is no such article." President Amit emphasized the high bar for using disqualification powers, warning that broad use could severely harm democratic values. Minister of National Security Itamar Ben-Gvir, who requested Abu Shehadeh's disqualification, welcomed the withdrawal but criticized the avoidance of a ruling. "We promised, we delivered! I am happy that the struggle we led led to Sami Abu Shehadeh's withdrawal from the Knesset, after his words supporting Hamas the day after October 7," Ben-Gvir stated, adding, "At the same time, it is regrettable that the Supreme Court allowed him to withdraw without a ruling on the disqualification issue. Otzma Yehudit will continue to fight with all its might against supporters of terror and haters of Israel who seek to enter the Knesset. Abu Shehadeh will see the next Knesset from Channel 99. Goodbye Abu Shehadeh!" Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich commented, "Yitzhak Amit is laughing at us all the way to the ballot box."