Ex-Knesset Candidate Slams High Court Over "Double Standard" in Disqualification Hearings

Dr. Michael Ben-Ari, who was previously disqualified from running for the Knesset, sharply criticized the Supreme Court's handling of disqualification hearings, contrasting the treatment he received with that of Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh. Ben-Ari stated in a radio interview that during his hearing, there was no opportunity for him or his lawyer to speak, describing the atmosphere as a "lynch" with "screams and disproportionate attacks." He contrasted this with the hearing for Abu Shehadeh, which he viewed on video and characterized as being conducted with "silk gloves" and "calmness."

Ben-Ari suggested the court's differing approaches stem from a desire to avoid confronting the reality of Arab citizens' intentions. He posited that ruling against Abu Shehadeh would force the court to acknowledge that "Arab citizens of Israel want to destroy us," and that the court avoids this by disqualifying him, thereby preventing the need to "look reality in the eye."

Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit had announced on Thursday that a majority of justices favored disqualifying Abu Shehadeh. Amit suggested Abu Shehadeh withdraw his candidacy to avoid a reasoned ruling. Subsequently, the Balad party's central committee and political bureau decided to withdraw his candidacy.

The Central Elections Committee had previously disqualified Abu Shehadeh by a vote of 31 to 4. The disqualification request was filed by Otzma Yehudit and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, citing, among other things, an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, the day after the Hamas attack.

During the Supreme Court hearing, a heated confrontation occurred outside the courtroom between Minister Ben-Gvir, MK Ahmed Tibi, and MK Ofer Cassif. Ben-Gvir aggressively addressed Tibi and Cassif, calling them "terrorists" and stating they would be thrown out of the Knesset. Tibi responded with a retort, while Jabareen and Cassif called Ben-Gvir a "small, filthy Nazi."

The Joint List strongly condemned the apparent disqualification, stating it aims to prevent an Arab political leader from running and to harm the public's right to choose their representatives. They vowed that their response to these exclusion attempts would be a massive turnout at the polls on October 27.