Israel\u2019s Central Elections Committee voted 30-4 to disqualify Balad chairman and Joint List No. 3 Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the October 27 election, accepting claims that he supported armed struggle against Israel and rejected Israel\u2019s existence as a Jewish and democratic state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
All opposition parties backed the disqualification, along with Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg, who broke with decades of precedent in which the Supreme Court justice heading the panel did not participate in such votes.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it would be right to continue in the path of my predecessors and maintain neutrality,\u201d Solberg said. \u201cBut alongside the serious statements attributed to Sami Abu Shehadeh, I did not find in his remarks an answer that could be considered satisfactory.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Both grounds raised in the petition were approved: supporting armed struggle by an enemy state or terrorist organization against Israel and negating Israel\u2019s existence as a Jewish and democratic state.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Solberg said Abu Shehadeh had not adequately addressed allegations stemming from an article he published a day after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
In the Oct. 8 article, Abu Shehadeh described Hamas\u2019 massacre as \u201can important historic event militarily, politically and strategically\u201d and wrote that others could learn from Hamas\u2019 success in surprising Israel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir\u2019s far-right Otzma Yehudit party filed the petition seeking Abu Shehadeh\u2019s disqualification.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara also issued an opinion yesterday supporting his removal from the ballot. The committee\u2019s decision must receive Supreme Court approval before taking effect.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abu Shehadeh rejected accusations that he supports Hamas\u2019 attack or political violence and called the effort to disqualify him an attempt to \u201csilence\u201d him and Arab society\u2019s political voice.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never supported Hamas\u2019 armed struggle against the State of Israel. I condemn the Oct. 7 attack and all the killing that was carried out,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Abu Shehadeh said his political activity followed a democratic and nonviolent path under international law.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cI have never called for violence or terrorism. I oppose armed struggle,\u201d he said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
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