Supreme Court pressure forces Balad leader to withdraw from October Knesset vote
Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh has withdrawn his candidacy for the October 27 Knesset election after the Israeli Supreme Court recommended he step aside to avoid a formal disqualification ruling. The court’s nine-justice panel, presided over by Yitzhak Amit, unanimously deemed his 2023 statements 'repugnant' but split on the legal outcome, giving him until Friday morning to withdraw. While the Attorney-General opposed the ban, National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir argued for a formal ruling. The move follows the Central Elections Committee’s recent disqualification of major Arab lists Ra’am and the Joint List, raising concerns that approximately 20% of Arab citizens may lack parliamentary representation. The Supreme Court is expected to rule on the remaining cases by Sunday.