During the Supreme Court hearing on MK disqualification appeals, Justice (Yosef) Stein confronted Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, asking him to produce an English article where he referred to Hamas as a terror organization. Abu Shehadeh replied that no such article exists.
In a further exchange during today's Supreme Court hearing on the disqualification appeals of Arab-sector MKs, Justice Yosef Stein confronted Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, asking him to produce an English-language article in which he referred to Hamas as a terror organization. Abu Shehadeh replied that no such article exists.
The nine-justice panel convened at 10:09 Thursday to hear appeals concerning the disqualifications of MKs Ofer Cassif, Sami Abu Shehadeh, and the Ra'am and Joint List parties. Protests and clashes were reported outside the Supreme Court earlier in the morning. At 11:11, the court described Abu Shehadeh's October 8, 2023 remarks as "shocking" and reflecting "a sense of human disconnection," as The Zioneer reported. At 12:21, a justice challenged Abu Shehadeh to produce any article where he called Hamas a terror group; he responded that it was "not my style of words." The exchange with Justice Stein took place shortly thereafter.
Abu Shehadeh has previously maintained that his October 8 article was mistranslated, arguing that his reference to a "campaign" was rendered as "battle." As The Zioneer reported on September 18, he told the Central Elections Committee that at the time of writing he was unaware of the full scale of the October 7 massacre and that his words were not intended as praise for Hamas.
The court has yet to issue a ruling on the appeals. The hearing continues.
11 developments
- StrongAbu Shehadeh tells panel his Oct 8 warning was mistranslated as 'battle', denies praising Hamas
- StrongAttorney Yosef Jabarin defends Sami Abu Shehadeh at CEC disqualification hearings
- StrongAG representative: lack of article disclaimer reveals candidate's real-time thinking
- StrongBen Gvir at Abu Shehadeh disqualification hearing: 'He must be in prison'
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