The Central Elections Committee disqualified Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the upcoming Knesset elections, and also disqualified the Ra'am party, according to The Zioneer.
Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh was disqualified from running in the upcoming Knesset elections on Wednesday by a vote of 31-4 in the Central Elections Committee, according to N12 and ynet. The committee later also disqualified the Ra'am party, according to reports.
The disqualification hearings began Wednesday morning. The first session addressed the Likud party's petition to disqualify MK Ofer Cassif (Hadash). The committee then moved to discuss the petition against Abu Shehadeh, filed by Otzma Yehudit and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir over his public praise of the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre.
During the hearing, Ben Gvir said: 'Sami Abu Shehadeh — out, out of the Knesset! He cannot be in the Knesset. The truth is: he must be in prison,' as The Zioneer previously reported. MK Naama Lazimi (The Democrats) also expressed support for disqualifying Abu Shehadeh. Balad's Sami Abu Shehadeh appeared via Zoom for his hearing.
The Ra'am party's disqualification followed later, though the specific grounds were not detailed in initial reports.
Decisions on both disqualifications are expected to be appealed to the Supreme Court.
8 developments
- StrongAbu Shehadeh tells panel his Oct 8 warning was mistranslated as 'battle', denies praising Hamas
- StrongAbu Shehadeh tells elections committee he did not support armed struggle
- StrongAG representative: lack of article disclaimer reveals candidate's real-time thinking
- DevelopingElections Committee disqualifies Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from Knesset run
Source and signal
- Open-source intake