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Israel Online · Sep 18, 2026

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BALAD Chairman Responds to Petition Seeking to Bar His Candidacy BALAD chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh has asked Israel’s Central Elections Committee to reject a petition seeking to disqualify him from running in the upcoming Knesset election. The petition, filed by Otzma Yehudit, cites an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas-led October 7 massacre. In his response, Abu Shehadeh said the article was written before the full scale of the atrocities had become clear. He acknowledged that, in retrospect, the article’s failure to address the crimes committed on October 7 was wrong. The Central Elections Committee will decide on the petition.

*BALAD Chairman Responds to Petition Seeking to Bar His Candidacy* BALAD chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh has asked Israel’s Central Elections Committee to reject a petition seeking to disqualify him from running in the upcoming Knesset election. The petition, filed by Otzma Yehudit, cites an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, a day after the Hamas-led October 7 massacre. In his response, Abu Shehadeh said the article was written before the full scale of the atrocities had become clear. He acknowledged that, in retrospect, the article’s failure to address the crimes committed on October 7 was wrong. The Central Elections Committee will decide on the petition.

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