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Legal challenges to Balad leader candidacy in Israel

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2026-10-02 13:42 UTC → 2026-10-02 19:52 UTC · added ~~removed~~

Israeli state prosecutors and the Attorney General urged the Supreme Court to uphold the disqualification of Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from the upcoming Knesset elections. The state’s position is based on an article Abu Shehadeh published following the October 7, 2023, attacks, which prosecutors claim constituted support for armed struggle against the state. Abu Shehadeh has denied supporting political violence, arguing the move is an attempt to silence the Arab community. Following these legal challenges, the Supreme Court advised Abu Shehadeh to withdraw his candidacy for the October 27 election to avoid a formal ruling, warning that a majority of the nine-justice panel favors his disqualification. In response to the court’s guidance, Abu Shehadeh announced his decision to withdraw, criticizing the judiciary for succumbing to an ‘atmosphere of intimidation and incitement.’ While stepping down from the race, Balad stated that Abu Shehadeh will remain the party's leader. In a significant ruling, the Supreme Court overturned the Central Elections Committee’s attempts to disqualify several Arab-majority political lists, including Ra’am and the Joint List, as well as Jewish legislator Ofer Cassif. The court ruled that the committee had not met the necessary legal requirements for such exclusions. The court voted 7-2 to reinstate Cassif, a member of the Hadash party. Rights organizations, such as Adalah, have criticized the overall legal proceedings, describing the court's actions as a threat to the political representation of Palestinian citizens of Israel.

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