Abu Shehadeh says exclusion would damage democracy
Sami Abu ShehadehBalad chairman and former Knesset member contesting his disqualification
Abu Shehadeh says approving his exclusion would damage democratic participation and argues that the court should assess his case without political pressure.
“Upholding this ban would extinguish what little democratic space remains.”
Interview
Where this statement fits
The effort to disqualify Sami Abu Shehadeh from Israel's 2026 election
Israel's Central Elections Committee voted on September 23, 2026 to disqualify Balad leader Sami Abu Shehadeh from the October 27 Knesset election. The dispute centers on whether his writing about the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack meets the legal threshold for supporting armed struggle against Israel. Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara supported disqualification. Abu Shehadeh and his lawyers at Adalah challenged the evidence and described the effort as an attack on Arab political representation. At an October 1 hearing, the Supreme Court indicated that a majority favored disqualification and recommended withdrawal, according to court reporting. Balad subsequently announced that its leadership had agreed to withdraw his candidacy while retaining him as party leader. We have not located a final judgment approving the disqualification or an order accepting a formal withdrawal.
Source and context
Interview
About this source
The New Arab's direct interview, edited for clarity and brevity.
Before the quotation
The interviewer asks whether support from the Zionist left gave the court political cover to uphold the ban.
After the quotation
He argues that treating his article as sufficient while permitting Ben Gvir to run would apply an indefensible standard.
How this statement is classified
The label describes this statement's response within the context above.
Why this label?
Relative to his exclusion, Abu Shehadeh expressly criticizes the ban and its consequences. His conditional wording describes a threatened outcome, not conditional support.
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More from this case
Read the full caseBalad objects to exclusion while announcing withdrawal
Balad
“استخدام الشطب أداةً لتضييق مساحة العمل السياسي العربي وملاحقة المواقف الوطنية الخارجة عن الإجماع الإسرائيلي.”Read statement
Odeh condemns pressure on Abu Shehadeh to withdraw
“פסילתו של חברי סמי אבו שחאדה היא הצעד הסופי בהפיכה המשטרית”Read statement
Cassif condemns the move to exclude Abu Shehadeh
“אני מאוד מאוכזב, וכעוס על ההחלטה לגבי חברי סאמי אבו שחאדה.”Read statement
Cite this record
- Publisher
- The Dispute Index
- Title
- Abu Shehadeh says exclusion would damage democracy
- First published
- Last updated
- Permalink
- https://disputeindex.com/events/4374-abu-shehadeh-says-approving-his-exclusion-would-damage
Last updated marks the most recent saved version of this published statement.
The Dispute Index. "Abu Shehadeh says exclusion would damage democracy". First published: 2026-10-01. Last updated: 2026-10-01. https://disputeindex.com/events/4374-abu-shehadeh-says-approving-his-exclusion-would-damage