Ben-Gvir, Tibi exchange insults at Supreme Court hearing

A sharp confrontation erupted Thursday morning at the entrance to the Supreme Court hearing room, when National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir clashed with MK Ahmad Tibi and Ofer Cassif. The exchange took place moments before the start of the hearing on Otzma Yehudit's petition to disqualify Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the upcoming Knesset elections.

Ben-Gvir addressed Tibi and Cassif harshly: "You are the front line of terror in the Knesset. Terrorist. We will throw you out of the Knesset." The minister continued his sharp attack on the Arab Knesset members.

MK Ahmad Tibi responded to Ben-Gvir with harsh words: "Every dog has his day." Yosef Jabareen and Ofer Cassif also replied sharply to the minister, calling him "a small, filthy Nazi."

The confrontation occurred moments before the dramatic Supreme Court hearing on the question of disqualifying Sami Abu Shehadeh from running in the Knesset elections. The hearing is being held before an expanded panel of nine justices headed by Supreme Court President Justice Yitzhak Amit.

The Central Elections Committee voted to disqualify Abu Shehadeh's candidacy by a large majority of 31 votes in favor and 4 against. The disqualification was based on the grounds of support for armed struggle or a terrorist organization against Israel.

The Attorney General and the State Attorney informed the Supreme Court that in their view, Abu Shehadeh's disqualification should be upheld. According to them, the article Abu Shehadeh published on October 8, 2023, one day after the outbreak of the Hamas attack, "expresses a position of support for the armed struggle of the terrorist organization Hamas against the State of Israel."

In their statement, the Attorney General and State Attorney noted that "Shehadeh's conduct stands at the heart of the disqualification grounds set out in Basic Law: The Knesset." They added that this involves "extreme circumstances and timing that could not be more severe."

The Supreme Court hearing is being held on four proceedings relating to decisions made by the Central Elections Committee for the 26th Knesset. The first two proceedings are automatically brought before the Supreme Court for approval in accordance with Basic Law: The Knesset and the Knesset Elections Law.

Sami Abu Shehadeh appears before the Central Elections Committee (Photo: Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The heated confrontation at the entrance to the courtroom reflects the high tension surrounding the issue of disqualifications in the upcoming elections. In addition to Abu Shehadeh, the Elections Committee also disqualified MK Ofer Cassif, the Joint List, and the Ra'am party.

Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Solberg voted in an unusual step in favor of disqualifying Abu Shehadeh. Democrats chairman Yair Golan and MK Naama Lazimi also supported Otzma Yehudit's request to disqualify the Balad chairman. Bennett, Lapid, Liberman, Gantz, and Eisenkot also expressed support for the disqualification.