Balad Party Withdraws Candidate Sami Abu Shehadeh Amid Disqualification Concerns

The Balad party announced Thursday that it has withdrawn the candidacy of its chairman, Sami Abu Shehadeh, from the upcoming Knesset elections. The decision was made in full coordination with Abu Shehadeh after the Supreme Court indicated during a hearing that the majority of justices leaned towards upholding a disqualification decision made by the Central Elections Committee. Balad stated that the move is not a retreat from the party's principles but rather an act of political responsibility in the face of what it described as a campaign of incitement and disqualification led by the right wing.

The Central Elections Committee had previously disqualified Abu Shehadeh's candidacy by a vote of 31 to 4. The committee's chairman, Justice Noam Sohlberg, broke with tradition to support the disqualification, citing a lack of satisfactory answers. The initial request to disqualify Abu Shehadeh was filed by the Otzma Yehudit party and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir.

The disqualification request centered on an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack, in which he described the assault as a "historically important event militarily, politically, and strategically." The Attorney General and the State Prosecutor also informed the Supreme Court that, in their view, the disqualification should be upheld, citing Abu Shehadeh's support for armed struggle against Israel, particularly during the October 7th events.

Balad emphasized that Abu Shehadeh did not retract his positions and actively defended his right to political representation before the court. The party clarified that his withdrawal from the Knesset race does not signify an exit from political life. Abu Shehadeh will continue to serve as chairman of Balad and lead its political and electoral efforts, with the party stating, "This is not the end of the road, it is a new phase."