Abu Shehadeh Withdraws from Israeli elections after Supreme Court Pressure

Sami Abu Shehadeh withdrew his Knesset candidacy for the October 27 election after the Supreme Court advised him to drop out, following a decision by the Central Electoral Commission to disqualify him. The withdrawal came after a majority of judges agreed with the September 23 decision to oust him.

The Supreme Court gave Abu Shehadeh leeway to withdraw voluntarily and set a deadline of Friday morning, according to accounts that said the judges would otherwise issue a ruling to cancel his candidacy. Adalah and the Legal Center for the Rights of the Arab Minority in Israel criticized the court’s approach, claiming it set a dangerous legal precedent.

The elections committee also barred two Arab electoral lists, the United Arab List and the Joint List, a three-party alliance that includes Abu Shehadeh’s party Balad. Daily Sabah reported that the Supreme Court reinstated the United Arab List and another Arab party to the ballot in a 7-2 vote, and it also reinstated the candidacy of Ofer Cassif, potentially giving Arab parties a pivotal role in forming a government after the October 27 vote.

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