Israeli prosecutors urge Supreme Court to bar Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh

Israel’s Attorney General, Gali Baharav-Miara, and State Attorney, Amit Aisman, have urged the Supreme Court to uphold the disqualification of Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from the upcoming Knesset elections.

The legal challenge follows a decision by the Central Elections Committee, which voted 30-4 to bar Abu Shehadeh from running. The state argues that an article published by Abu Shehadeh on October 8, 2023—one day after the Hamas-led attacks on Israel—constituted support for armed struggle against the state. In the piece, Abu Shehadeh described the assault as “an important historic event militarily, politically and strategically.”

State prosecutors noted that their current position is an escalation from previous recommendations made to the Central Elections Committee. They dismissed Abu Shehadeh’s subsequent explanations as incomplete and failing to address the core allegations. Abu Shehadeh has denied supporting political violence or the October 7 massacre, characterizing the disqualification attempt as an effort to silence the political voice of the Arab community.