Dispute in the Justice Ministry: Should it support disqualifying Balad chairman who supported Hamas massacre? | Avishai Grinzaig
Senior officials in the Israeli Justice Ministry are divided over whether to support disqualifying Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shahadeh from running for the Knesset, following an Arabic article he published on October 8, 2023, allegedly supporting the Hamas attack. The Deputy State Attorney argued the statements are not clear enough, while the Deputy Attorney General and the head of the High Court department leaned toward supporting disqualification. The Attorney General decided to wait for his response.
Senior officials in the Israeli Justice Ministry are divided over whether to support disqualifying Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shahadeh from running for the Knesset. The background to the discussion is an Arabic article Abu Shahadeh published on October 8, 2023, the day after the October 7 massacre, allegedly supporting the Hamas attack. At meetings held on Wednesday and Thursday, a heated debate arose. Deputy State Attorney Alon Altman argued that the statements are not clear enough to justify disqualification. In contrast, Deputy Attorney General Avital Sompolinsky and the head of the High Court department leaned toward supporting disqualification. Other senior officials believed that freedom of expression should be preferred, even if Abu Shahadeh's words are jarring. The State Attorney, who attended the meeting via Zoom, did not utter a word. The Attorney General summarized the discussion and decided to wait to hear Abu Shahadeh's excuses and explanations before giving a final opinion.