We must stop legitimizing terror supporters as MKs – and the sooner the better

Three years after October 7, commentator Lital Shemesh calls for disqualifying Ra'am, Hadash, and Sami Abu Shahadeh from running for the Knesset, claiming they are terror supporters and a fifth column. The upcoming elections, she says, are a national watershed that will determine whether Israel continues to fund representatives who work against it from within.

Three years after the October 7 massacre, commentator Lital Shemesh calls for disqualifying the Joint Arab List, Ra'am, Hadash, and Sami Abu Shahadeh from running for the Knesset. She claims they are terror supporters and a fifth column who exploit freedom of speech to harm victims and soldiers, and hope to continue doing so with state funding in the next term. Shemesh quotes Aida Touma-Sliman of Hadash, who she says blamed the "settlers' crimes" for the massacre instead of the Palestinian murderers, and Sami Abu Shahadeh, who sought to leverage the massacre for further escalations. She calls on the public to take to the streets if the High Court again legitimizes terror supporters, asserting that these people belong outside the law and outside the country's borders. The column reflects a hardline right-wing stance calling for legislative and judicial action against Arab public representatives.