The Abu Shehadeh test: Will the court respect Israel’s will, or keep up the charade? - opinion

MK Simcha Rothman explains why the Religious Zionist Party, which previously refused to participate in candidate disqualification petitions, has now joined efforts to disqualify Joint List MKs Sami Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif. Rothman cites three changes: October 7 shifting Israeli threat perception, four years of constitutional debate altering the court's role, and the understanding that war includes diplomatic and legal battlefields. He argues the Supreme Court must now prove it has internalized these lessons.

MK Simcha Rothman, chair of the Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee, explains why the Religious Zionist Party has reversed its long-standing policy and joined petitions to disqualify Joint List MKs Sami Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif from the Knesset. Rothman cites three fundamental changes. First, the October 7 massacre shattered the assumption that terrorism could be managed without confronting its ideological roots, and the public now views such threats as existential. Second, four years of constitutional debate have seen the Supreme Court assert its power to review Basic Laws and define fundamental principles, raising the question of whether those principles apply consistently. Third, the war against Hamas is understood as a multi-front conflict encompassing military, diplomatic, and legal dimensions. Rothman argues that Cassif's actions crossed the statutory line from political opposition into supporting armed struggle against Israel, and that the court must now prove it has internalized the lessons of October 7 rather than continuing what he calls a charade.