Too little, too late: Shahada received an escape door – the High Court avoided a decision

Sami Abu Shahada withdrew his candidacy for the Knesset after the Supreme Court offered him to step down, saving himself from a historic disqualification. The article claims that the High Court avoided a principled decision on the issue of disqualifying Arab candidates and offered Shahada an unprecedented "escape door," contrary to the treatment given to Jewish candidates in the past. The author warns that the withdrawal does not solve the problem, as additional terror supporters are expected to enter the Knesset.

Sami Abu Shahada announced last night (Thursday) his withdrawal from the Knesset race, after the Supreme Court offered him to step down to save him from a historic disqualification. The article claims that this is an unprecedented "escape door," as Jewish candidates in the past, such as Baruch Marzel and Michael Ben-Ari, received a final verdict and not an offer to withdraw. The author accuses the High Court of fearing to create a precedent for disqualifying an Arab candidate, and notes that the petition by Otzma Yehudit included dozens of quotes and evidence of Shahada's support for terrorism, including praise for martyrs and justification of the October 7 massacre. The article warns that even after his withdrawal, the next Knesset will include terror supporters from the Joint List, Balad, Hadash, and Ra'am, and that the High Court will have to deal with additional petitions in the future. The conclusion: the withdrawal is not a victory for democracy, but proof of its sickness.