Balad Party Decides Chairman Abu Shehadeh Will Withdraw Knesset Candidacy
Translated & summarized from Kan News by baba
The story in 5 lines · by baba
- Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh withdraws Knesset candidacy to avoid disqualification.
- The decision was made in coordination with Abu Shehadeh and the party leadership.
- Abu Shehadeh will continue as Balad chairman, leading political efforts.
- Other Joint List parties may compensate Balad for a potential loss of a Knesset seat.
- The High Court of Justice had indicated a likely disqualification due to his statements.
The Balad party announced Thursday evening that its chairman, Sami Abu Shehadeh, will withdraw his candidacy for the Knesset. This decision was made to preempt a High Court of Justice ruling that would have disqualified him. According to a Balad statement, the party's leadership, in full coordination with Abu Shehadeh, agreed to the withdrawal out of political responsibility towards the party, the Joint List, and the Arab public.
The party emphasized that this move does not signify a retirement from political life, and Abu Shehadeh will continue to serve as Balad's chairman, leading its political and electoral struggles. Earlier reports indicated that Balad had considered the possibility of Abu Shehadeh remaining chairman while managing the party from outside the Knesset.
Other parties within the Joint List have pledged to compensate Balad for the loss of a representative in the Knesset, should Abu Shehadeh's disqualification leave Balad with only one seat. This compensation could involve rotation agreements for Knesset members or granting Balad more senior positions.
Balad is also initiating a campaign to increase voter turnout, aiming to mobilize the Arab community to vote against those responsible for Abu Shehadeh's disqualification, hoping the situation will spur greater participation. The decision comes after Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit advised Abu Shehadeh during a hearing that the judges recommended he reconsider his candidacy and suggested he withdraw. The judges indicated that if he did not withdraw by Friday, they would be compelled to disqualify him, citing that "there is a consensus among the judges that there are things written by the candidate that are outrageous and disgusting." Amit stated that the likely outcome was upholding the disqualification decision.
Abu Shehadeh had previously attacked Israel in a video days after the October 7th events.
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