Sami Abu Shehadeh is a Palestinian politician and historian who leads Balad, the National Democratic Assembly party in Israel. He was a member of the Knesset from 2019 to 2022 and previously sat on the Tel Aviv-Jaffa City Council.
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: Balad chairman and former Knesset member contesting his disqualification
Statement summary
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.”
Relative to his exclusion, Abu Shehadeh expressly criticizes the ban and its consequences. His conditional wording describes a threatened outcome, not conditional support.
Statement dates: September 30, 2026
Statement dates: September 30, 2026
