High-profile case10/1/2026

Balad Chairman Withdrew His Candidacy Following Comments by Supreme Court Justices

Balad Chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh asked the Supreme Court to overturn the Central Elections Committee’s decision to disqualify him from running in the Knesset elections. After the justices announced that a majority favored disqualification, he withdrew his candidacy, and therefore no judicial ruling was issued on the merits.

Key facts

•Candidate: Sami Abu Shehadeh
•Court: Supreme Court of Israel
•Court panel: nine justices
•Publication of the material: October 1, 2026
•The proceeding number was not specified in the source
•No judicial ruling was issued on the merits

What Happened

The Central Elections Committee disqualified Abu Shehadeh, who was placed third on the Joint List. The basis was an article he published on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas attack: the committee viewed its content as support for armed struggle against Israel.

The Supreme Court Hearing

The appeal was heard by a panel of nine Supreme Court justices. Court President Yitzhak Amit informed Abu Shehadeh that a majority of the justices supported his disqualification and suggested that he decide whether to maintain his candidacy. Withdrawing from the race allowed the proceedings to conclude without a judicial ruling on the disqualification issue.

The Parties’ Positions

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and State Attorney Amit Aisman supported Abu Shehadeh’s disqualification, believing that he had expressed support for armed struggle against Israel. The politician himself asked to be allowed to continue his parliamentary activity and relied on his work in the fields of human rights and the rights of people with disabilities.

How the Proceedings Ended

After the hearing, Balad’s leadership coordinated the withdrawal of the candidacy with Abu Shehadeh and a group of legal experts. He will not be included on the list of candidates, but according to the party’s statement, he will continue to head Balad. Because the candidacy was withdrawn, the Supreme Court did not issue a judgment that would have established a legal position on the merits of the disqualification.

What this means for you

The withdrawal of the candidacy ended this specific dispute without a final judicial interpretation of the grounds for disqualifying a candidate. For voters, this means that Abu Shehadeh will not run in these elections as part of the Joint List, but the Supreme Court did not establish any new general rule in this proceeding regarding other candidates.

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Case analysis based on court rulings