Israeli Politics · updated 1h ago · 3 min read
Israeli Supreme Court Pressures Sami Abu Shehadeh To Withdraw From October 27 Elections
Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy from the Oct. 27 election under Supreme Court pressure. The court indicated a majority of judges supported disqualification if he remained, prompting withdrawal.
26 outlets told this the same way.
2 of 3 outlets skipped it: ben-Gvir says Jewish Power ousted Abu Shehadeh.
www.timesofisrael › high-court-urges-balad-chairman-to-drop-out-of-... was read line by line by the Watchdog: 6.7. See the score →
26outlets compared
Abu Shehadeh withdraws
Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew from Israel’s October 27 elections after the Israeli Supreme Court indicated judges were likely to disqualify him for an article describing the October 7, 2023, Hamas-led attacks as an "important historical event." Sami Abu Shehadeh denied that his remarks amounted to endorsing the attack by fighters who killed 1,200 people and brought 251 hostages to Gaza, and he told Reuters that the decision showed "in the Jewish state, there are two different laws for citizens according to their identity." The Supreme Court unanimously agreed that statements by Abu Shehadeh were "painful, disturbing and revolting," and the court overturned other bans while saying a majority had been likely to uphold the ban on Abu Shehadeh before he withdrew.
The withdrawal followed a Supreme Court session in which Supreme Court Chief Justice Yitzhak Amit recommended that Abu Shehadeh step down voluntarily to avoid a ruling against him, and the court gave him until Friday to decide. The Supreme Court’s pressure came as Israel’s Central Election Commission had sought to ban Shehadeh from competing, along with four parties seeking to represent Israel’s 20% Arab minority, and Ofer Cassif.
Court, parties, and pressure
The Supreme Court’s approach centered on voluntary withdrawal, because the court refrained from issuing a decisive ruling and proposed that Abu-Chahdeh withdraw to avoid a ruling against him, according to CNN Arabic.
CNN Arabic said the Supreme Court unanimously approved the nomination of the Unified Arab List (Ra’am) and the Joint List for the October 27 elections, overturning a previous decision by the Central Elections Committee to bar them from running.
The Anadolu Ajansı account said the Arab Balad party decided Thursday evening to withdraw its leader’s candidacy after the Supreme Court indicated that a majority of its judges supported his exclusion, and it said Channel 12 reported Balad agreed that Sami Abu Shehadeh would accept the court’s proposal.
Anadolu Ajansı reported that Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit told Abu Shehadeh that most judges on the panel favored upholding his disqualification, and it said the court gave him until Friday to withdraw voluntarily.
Anadolu Ajansı also said the Central Elections Committee voted on Sept. 23 to disqualify Abu Shehadeh and Joint List lawmaker Ofer Cassif, and it said the committee also voted to exclude the Joint List, led by Yousef Jabareen, and the United Arab List, led by Mansour Abbas, from the election.
Aftermath and political stakes
Itamar Ben-Gvir said his Jewish Power movement had "managed to oust Sami Abu Shehadeh and stop him from entering the Knesset," and he added, "We will not allow supporters of terrorism and those who praise martyrs to operate freely in Israel's Knesset." Sami Abu Shehadeh told Reuters that "The margins for political activity, for freedom of speech for the Arab-Palestinian minority in Israel are becoming narrower," linking his withdrawal to shrinking space for Arab political expression. Adalah’s Miriam Azem argued that Abu Shehadeh’s withdrawal aimed to prevent a dangerous legal precedent from undermining "the already limited space for Palestinian representation in the Knesset," and she said the Supreme Court told him, "if you don’t want to set a legal precedent, withdraw right now; otherwise, we will issue a ruling against you."
“We will not allow supporters of terrorism and those who praise martyrs to operate freely in Israel's Knesset.”
Diario Público reported that the Israeli Supreme Court lifted the electoral veto on Arab parties after securing Abu Shehadeh’s withdrawal, and it said the TS reported the lifting of the veto on three other Arab and anti-Zionist candidacies imposed on September 23. Diario Público also said the four Central Elections Committee prohibitions for the October 27 elections targeted Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif, and it said the prohibitions also covered the Joint List and the Arab Islamist Ra’am list.