Balad Party Leader's Video Contradicts Claims Ahead of Supreme Court Hearing

A video posted by Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, on October 10, 2023, three days after the Hamas attack, referred to the massacre as a "strategic political event" and avoided mentioning Hamas as responsible. The finding will be presented to the Supreme Court.

In the TikTok video, Abu Shehadeh did not condemn the massacre or name Hamas, instead focusing on accusing Israel of inciting against Gaza residents and murdering Palestinians. He reiterated statements from an article that led to his disqualification from elections by the Central Elections Committee, calling the events a "significant strategic political event" with regional implications.

Abu Shehadeh expressed condolences to "martyrs' families, the wounded, and all innocent victims' families, especially our people in the Negev," without referencing Hamas's mass killings, hostage-taking, or attacks on security forces. He also harshly criticized Israel, alleging "racist, barbaric, and inhuman incitement" from Israeli leadership towards Palestinians, particularly Gaza residents, and mentioning terms like "genocide" and "ethnic cleansing."

He further claimed there were threats against Palestinians internally, especially in "historic Palestinian cities and mixed cities." Recently, Abu Shehadeh asserted he was unaware of the full scope of the event when he wrote the article. However, the video, published days after the article while militants were still in Israel and many Israelis' fates were unknown, repeated these messages.

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear arguments on Thursday regarding the Central Elections Committee's disqualifications, including Abu Shehadeh's. Legal sources anticipate the court will unusually uphold the disqualification, with the video expected to raise serious questions about the credibility of Abu Shehadeh's explanations to the committee.