Sami Abu Shehadeh, leader of the left-wing Palestinian Balad party, has withdrawn his candidacy for the upcoming Israeli elections after the Supreme Court advised him to do so. His decision, announced on October 2, 2026, follows a threat of disqualification from the court, which indicated that a majority of its judges supported a September 23 ruling by Israel’s Central Elections Committee to oust him from the race. This ruling came after accusations from nationalist political rivals that he supported Hamas’s attack on October 7, 2023.
Political analysts suggest that Arab Israeli parties could play a crucial role in the elections, as polls indicate that neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s coalition nor the main opposition bloc is likely to achieve an outright majority. Abu Shehadeh, who served in the Knesset from 2019 to 2022, stated that he does not support armed struggle but acknowledged that a paragraph in an article he wrote was poorly worded. He intended to advocate for a political process to resolve the conflict.
Adalah, a rights organization representing Abu Shehadeh, condemned the court's decision, arguing that the evidence presented lacked legal basis and that the court's actions effectively removed a Palestinian leader from the Knesset. They described the court's intention to disqualify him as a potential legal precedent with serious implications.
In addition to Abu Shehadeh's withdrawal, the elections committee has barred two other Arab electoral lists: the United Arab List and the Joint List, which includes Balad. The Supreme Court is set to continue hearing appeals from these parties. Adalah has raised concerns about the disqualification of Palestinian candidates while far-right Israeli candidates have been allowed to run despite making incendiary statements against Palestinians.