Arab MK Seeks Delay in Disqualification Hearing Over Injury

Balad party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh submitted a request Tuesday to the Central Elections Committee to postpone the hearing on his disqualification, scheduled for tomorrow. Abu Shehadeh claims he was injured this morning and hospitalized in the trauma unit at Rambam Hospital in Haifa.

In a letter sent on behalf of Balad to the Elections Committee, it states: "On September 22, 2026, the respondent was hospitalized in the trauma unit at Rambam after being injured in the morning hours, and he is expected to be released tomorrow, September 23, 2026, in the afternoon hours." A certificate of hospital stay was attached to the request.

The request outlines two possible options: "The honorable committee is requested to order the postponement of the hearing to the morning of September 24, 2026, or alternatively, to allow the respondent to appear via Zoom for the hearing scheduled for September 23, 2026."

In addition to the postponement request, Abu Shehadeh seeks to submit a document summarizing his parliamentary work throughout his tenure as a Knesset member. According to the request, "submission of the document was not possible with the filing of the response due to the extremely short timeframe the respondent had to submit his response to the disqualification petition."

The petition to disqualify Abu Shehadeh was filed by Otzma Yehudit and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and is based in part on an article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, one day after the Hamas attack. The petition claims that in the article, Abu Shehadeh described the Hamas attack as "an important historical event from a military, political and strategic perspective."

Recently, Abu Shehadeh addressed the article explicitly for the first time, writing: "Had I been aware of the extent of the atrocities at the time of writing the article, I would not have published it." He added: "I have never called for violence, did not support the events of October 7 and do not justify them."

Otzma Yehudit was quick to respond to the postponement request. In a statement from the party, it said: "Minister Ben Gvir believes that Abu Shehadeh is playing games and therefore seeks to postpone the hearing. In any case, for the avoidance of doubt and given the importance of the hearing, if necessary - we will request to question him and conduct the proceedings, even at the hospital."

The Otzma Yehudit response further stated: "Abu Shehadeh knows that these are the last days the judge can hear cases and is deliberately playing games."

It should be noted that disqualification petitions ahead of the elections have been filed against several parties and candidates, with Otzma Yehudit and Ra'am leading the focus of the requests. Hearings on these petitions are expected to take place at the Central Elections Committee in the coming days.