Ben Caspit is an Israeli journalist, political commentator and author. He writes for Maariv, Walla and Al-Monitor and presents radio and television programs. His books include biographies of Benjamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak.
Case
Officials sought to bar the Balad leader over his October 2023 writing. His lawyers disputed the armed-struggle threshold, and Balad announced withdrawal after a Supreme Court warning.
Role at the time: Israeli political columnist writing in Walla
Statement summary
Ben Caspit endorsed Abu Shehadeh's disqualification, arguing that his description of the October 7 attack crossed a limit for a legislator. English translation: The disqualification of Sami Abu Shehadeh is the most justified disqualification since disqualification was invented.
“פסילתו של סמי אבו שחאדה היא הפסילה המוצדקת ביותר מאז המצאת הפסלוּת.”
Relative to excluding Abu Shehadeh from the election, Caspit expressly supports the ban. His opposition to excluding other Arab parties does not qualify his support for this individual disqualification.
Statement dates: September 25, 2026
Statement dates: September 25, 2026
