High-profile case9/25/2026

Supreme Court to Hear Disqualifications of Abu Shehadeh, Cassif and the Joint List

Israel’s Supreme Court will hold two separate hearings on decisions by the Central Elections Committee to disqualify Sami Abu Shehadeh, MK Ofer Cassif and the Joint List from participating in the elections. The issues will be heard by an expanded panel of nine justices; the final outcome was not stated in the source.

Key facts

•Court: Israel’s Supreme Court
•Panel: nine justices
•Election: the 26th Knesset
•Vote concerning Abu Shehadeh: 30 to 4
•Statute: Basic Law: The Knesset
•Case numbers are not stated in the source

Two Separate Hearings

The Court will first consider the disqualification of Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from the elections for the 26th Knesset. A hearing will then be held regarding Ofer Cassif and the Joint List, on whose slate he is expected to run. Both cases were referred to the Supreme Court following decisions by the Central Elections Committee.

Who Will Hear the Issues

The panel will comprise Supreme Court President Yitzhak Amit and Justices Daphne Barak-Erez, David Mintz, Yael Wilner, Ofer Grosskopf, Alex Stein, Gila Canfy-Steinitz, Khaled Kabub and Yechiel Kasher. Representatives of Otzma Yehudit, Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, Abu Shehadeh himself and the Attorney General were invited to the hearing in Abu Shehadeh’s case. Representatives of Likud, Cassif and the Joint List were invited to the hearing concerning Cassif and the Joint List.

Grounds for Abu Shehadeh’s Disqualification

The committee supported Abu Shehadeh’s disqualification by a vote of 30 to four. Otzma Yehudit’s petition was based on a provision of Basic Law: The Knesset concerning support for an armed struggle by an enemy state or a terrorist organization against Israel. The evidence cited included an article published by Abu Shehadeh on October 8, 2023; he argued that at the time he did not yet know the full extent of the events that had occurred on October 7.

Positions of the Legal Officeholders

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara believed that the evidentiary basis indicated the existence of grounds relating to support for an armed struggle against Israel, but refrained from explicitly recommending disqualification. Central Elections Committee chairman and Supreme Court Deputy President Noam Sohlberg also voted in favor of Abu Shehadeh’s disqualification, contrary to customary practice. The legal grounds for the decisions concerning Cassif and the Joint List are not detailed in the material presented.

What this means for you

Until the Supreme Court issues its ruling, the question of whether the candidates and the slate may participate in the elections has not been finally decided. For voters, the outcome will determine whether Sami Abu Shehadeh, Ofer Cassif and the Joint List will be among those permitted to run in the elections. The source does not state when the final decision will be issued.

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