Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh told the Central Elections Committee that his October 8, 2023 article was misinterpreted, claiming his words were not praise for Hamas or support for armed struggle. He said his intention was to warn against the continuation of the 'campaign,' which he says was mistakenly translated as 'battle,' and that at the time he was unaware of the full scale of the October 7 massacre.
Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of the Balad party, submitted a response to the Central Elections Committee on Friday asking it to reject Otzma Yehudit's petition to disqualify him from the upcoming Knesset election. According to reports by Amit Segal (N12) at 14:38, Abu Shehadeh argued that when he wrote an article on October 8, 2023 praising the 'military, political, and strategic achievement' of the Hamas-led assault, he was unaware of the full scale of the October 7 massacre, which 'had not yet become clear in its full horror.'
In a subsequent report at 15:34, additional details emerged from Abu Shehadeh's response. He denied that his words constituted praise for Hamas or support for armed struggle. He claimed that his reference to 'al-ma'arakha' (the campaign) was mistranslated as 'battle' (karav), and that his intention was to warn against the continuation of the campaign and to advocate for transferring leadership from Hamas to advance a political framework.
The petition to disqualify Abu Shehadeh was filed by Otzma Yehudit, which located the October 8 article. The Justice Ministry is reportedly divided on whether to support the disqualification request, with a decision still pending. As The Zioneer reported earlier Friday, the Central Elections Committee has yet to rule on the matter.
3 developments
- StrongAttorney Yosef Jabarin defends Sami Abu Shehadeh at CEC disqualification hearings
- StrongAbu Shehadeh tells elections committee he did not support armed struggle
- StrongAG representative: lack of article disclaimer reveals candidate's real-time thinking
- StrongYaara Zered says Balad chairman's Oct 7 praise disqualifies him from Knesset
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