Balad Chairman Quits Knesset Race After High Court Suggests Disqualification

Sami Abu Shahadeh, chairman of the Balad party, has withdrawn his candidacy for the 26th Knesset elections following recommendations from Supreme Court justices to remove him from the race. The decision came during a hearing on petitions challenging the Central Elections Committee's decision to disqualify him. Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit indicated to Abu Shahadeh that a majority of the court appeared poised to disqualify him, prompting the suggestion that he withdraw. The Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, and State Attorney Amit Issman also supported the disqualification, citing Abu Shahadeh's alleged support for armed struggle against Israel.

The Supreme Court hearing involved a nine-judge panel and also addressed the disqualification of the Joint List, Ra'am, and MK Ofer Cassif by the Central Elections Committee. The Joint List criticized the recommendation for Abu Shahadeh's withdrawal, calling it a disqualification of their chairman and an attempt to prevent an Arab political leader from running and to harm the public's right to choose their representatives. They claimed the decision was based on a "campaign of incitement and political persecution" and lacked legal justification, providing "judicial cover for political exclusion." The Joint List urged the Arab public to vote in large numbers.