Yisrael Beytenu files petition to disqualify Balad leader from running in election

Avigdor Liberman’s Yisrael Beytenu party files a petition to the Central Elections Commission to disqualify Balad chief Sami Abou Shahadeh from running in the November 1 election.

The party cites a section of the Basic Law which says that candidates should be disqualified if they deny the existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state, incite to racism or support an enemy country or terror group.

In a statement, Yisrael Beytenu says that Abou Shahadeh “must be outside of the Israeli Knesset. One who denies the existence of the State of Israel and does not recognize it as a Jewish and democratic nation is not worthy of being part of [the Knesset] — it is fitting for him to be part of the parliament in Ramallah, that’s his place.”

In response, Abou Shahadeh tells Army Radio that “I’m not interested in this violent man [Liberman], who supports transferring [Arab citizens out of Israel]… Liberman is not far from the electoral threshold and therefore he is trying to attract extremist voters.”