Arab-Israeli politician Abu Shehadeh withdraws from election after court signals disqualification
Arab-Israeli politician Abu Shehadeh withdraws from election after court signals disqualification
The Abu Shehadeh withdraws election story marks a rare and contentious turn in Israeli politics. Arab-Israeli politician Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy on Thursday from October’s parliamentary election after Israel’s Supreme Court indicated that a majority of its judges supported barring him from the race.
Abu Shehadeh leads the left-wing Palestinian Balad party and served in the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, from 2019 to 2022. His party said the decision did not mark the end of his political struggle and that he would remain the party’s leader.
Why Abu Shehadeh withdraws election bid
Last week, Israel’s Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify Abu Shehadeh at the request of far-right National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir. The move came after an article in which Abu Shehadeh described Hamas’s October 7, 2023 attack as an “important historical event”. He has denied supporting the attack, but the remarks drew sharp criticism.
The Supreme Court convened on Thursday to hear Abu Shehadeh’s appeal against the disqualification. Rather than issue a ruling, the court proposed that he voluntarily withdraw after signalling that most of its judges favoured excluding him. It gave him until Friday morning to decide.
Abu Shehadeh had little choice but to withdraw in order to avoid a formal disqualification that would have “grave consequences for the country’s political and parliamentary life”, Balad said.
Disqualifying candidates is rare in Israel, where the Supreme Court has historically overturned most bans approved by the elections committee. Under Israeli law, candidates can be barred only if they deny Israel’s existence as a Jewish and democratic state or support armed struggle by an enemy state or a terrorist organisation against Israel.
‘Severe blow’
Adalah, the Israeli rights group representing Abu Shehadeh, accused the Supreme Court of effectively disqualifying him by pressuring him to withdraw.
“A Palestinian leader has been forced out of the Israeli Knesset elections after the Supreme Court made clear it would remove him,” the group said in a statement to AFP. Adalah said Abu Shehadeh’s decades of public life as a human rights activist, legislator and party leader demonstrated his “consistent and unequivocal opposition to violence of any kind”.
“It is a severe blow to the right of Palestinian citizens to be represented and to stand for election.”
Besides Abu Shehadeh, the elections committee last week barred two Arab electoral lists: the United Arab List and the Joint List, a three-party alliance that includes Balad. The Supreme Court is due to continue hearing appeals from those parties on Friday.
Arab Israelis account for about 20 per cent of the country’s population. Most identify as Palestinians. Arab-Israeli parties are seen by political analysts as potential kingmakers in the October 27 election, with polls showing neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition nor the main opposition bloc on course for a majority.
FAQs
Who is Sami Abu Shehadeh?
He is the leader of the left-wing Palestinian Balad party and served in Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, from 2019 to 2022.
Why did he withdraw from the election?
Israel’s Supreme Court indicated most of its judges favoured disqualifying him, following a Central Elections Committee vote to bar him at the request of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir.
When is Israel’s election?
The parliamentary election is scheduled for October 27, 2026.
