Shin Bet arrests Balad activist in Jaffa as election dispute deepens
Police and the security agency detained Abd Abu Shahada Wednesday, prompting a three-day gag order and fresh clashes over the validity of recent voting results.
By Kaito Sokolov ·
Israeli police and the Shin Bet detained Abd Abu Shahada, a senior figure in the Balad party, in Jaffa on Wednesday. Authorities cited suspected security offenses for the arrest. The move occurred while the government and opposition continue to debate the legitimacy of the recent parliamentary elections.
Sami Abu Shehadeh, chairman of Balad, condemned the detention. He described the act as a grave crime and part of a campaign to hijack the electoral process. "Netanyahu and his associates are intensifying their attempts to steal the election," Abu Shehadeh said. He alleged that forces removed Abu Shahada from his home without presenting a warrant or providing an inventory of seized items.
Police placed a three-day gag order on the investigation. This restriction prevents officials from releasing details about the case. No public link has been established between this specific arrest and ongoing probes into suspected election interference.
The detention arrives during a sharp dispute over the role of Arab voters in the election outcome. Likud has challenged the validity of the results, while the Joint List accuses Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet chief David Zini of treating Arab political participation as a security threat. The Central Elections Committee recently approved results showing Netanyahu’s coalition holding 53 seats, the opposition holding 48, and Arab parties holding 19. Neither bloc reached the 61 seats required for a majority.
The elections committee stated its review found no irregularities that would change the results. It noted that corrections were made where necessary based on voting records. Justice Noam Sohlberg, the committee chairman, previously instructed the Shin Bet to investigate suspicions of improper foreign funding and bribery. He asked the agency to gather evidence to support or refute those claims.
A separate police probe concerns alleged vote-buying for the Ra’am party. Officers arrested three men on Election Day, October 27, after finding cash and ballot slips. Four more suspects were detained two days later. By Tuesday, six of the seven men were out of custody, though some remained under house arrest. Ibrahim al-Garibi’s detention was extended until Wednesday following a police appeal.
Tensions have risen between the Shin Bet and the Attorney-General’s office over this investigation. Gali Baharav-Miara’s office argued that citizens and elected officials require an evidentiary basis for investigation. It accused the security agency of delaying the inquiry by failing to transfer materials to the joint investigative team for two days. Likud countered by accusing the Attorney-General of obstructing the process.
Mansour Abbas, chairman of Ra’am, rejected efforts to tarnish the Arab public. He stated that he and his party colleagues were willing to appear before law-enforcement authorities. The Shin Bet has sought to question Abbas, Balad chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh, and Ta’al chairman Ahmad Tibi as suspects under caution.
