Israel polls: Arab party leader forced to withdraw candidacy

Jerusalem: Arab-Israeli politician and Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh has withdrawn his candidacy for Israel’s October 27 Knesset elections after the Supreme Court indicated that a majority of judges supported his disqualification.

Abu Shehadeh’s decision came after Israel’s Central Elections Committee barred him from the race on September 23 following allegations that he had expressed support for Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. The dispute centred on an article he published after the attack. Abu Shehadeh later said he did not support armed struggle and acknowledged that part of the article had been incorrectly worded.

During a Supreme Court hearing, judges indicated that Abu Shehadeh faced disqualification and advised him to withdraw rather than proceed towards a formal ruling. He subsequently ended his candidacy but said he would remain the leader of Balad.

The development comes amid a wider dispute over the participation of Arab political groups in the election. The Central Elections Committee had also moved against two Arab electoral lists, the United Arab List and the Joint List, which includes Balad.

Rights organisation Adalah, which represented Abu Shehadeh, criticised the decision and argued that his removal would undermine the political representation of Palestinian citizens of Israel. The organisation also questioned the differing treatment of Arab candidates and far-right Israeli politicians accused of making inflammatory statements about Palestinians.

Abu Shehadeh served in the Knesset from 2019 to 2022. His withdrawal follows growing scrutiny of Arab parties’ participation in the upcoming election, with their potential role in determining the balance between the major political blocs adding significance to the dispute.