Statement on behalf of the Attorney General
According to the position of the Attorney General and the State Attorney, as submitted to the Central Elections Committee, there is no legal basis for disqualifying the following parties and candidates: the Religious Zionism and Zehut parties, the Democrats, Ra’am, Otzma Yehudit, the Joint List and Balad, as well as MK Ofer Cassif.
By contrast, with regard to candidate Sami Abu Shehadeh, the evidentiary record—particularly an article he published on October 8, 2023—appears prima facie to indicate that he expressed support for the armed struggle of a terrorist organization against the State of Israel.
According to the Attorney General and the State Attorney, Abu Shehadeh’s written response to the disqualification request “does not sufficiently establish that his article did not reflect an expression of support for armed struggle against Israel, at a time that could not have been more grave.” Accordingly, the Central Elections Committee should give serious consideration to the disqualification request during its deliberations, in accordance with the applicable legal standards and in light of Abu Shehadeh’s arguments before the Committee.