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National Democratic Assembly (Balad)

The Joint List
Leader
Sami Abu Shehadeh
List
The Joint List
Researched as of
October 7, 2026

Running on a joint list with Arab Movement for Renewal (Ta'al) and Israeli Communist Party (Hadash) as The Joint List.

Overview

Name and founding. Balad is the Hebrew acronym for the National Democratic Assembly (in Arabic, al-Tajamu' al-Watani al-Dimuqrati) [5, 6]. The Israel Democracy Institute (IDI) dates its founding to 1996, before the elections for the 14th Knesset [5]. Its founder was former MK Azmi Bishara [7]. Bishara resigned from the Knesset and left Israel after he was suspected of aiding Hezbollah, the Iran-backed terror organization in Lebanon, during the Second Lebanon War (2006); he now lives in Qatar [7]. Other well-known past leaders include former MK Jamal Zahalka [5].

Ideology. Balad is described as a secular Arab nationalist party, and it defines itself as an Arab national party [6, 4]. Its central idea is that Israel should become "a state of all its citizens" rather than a Jewish state [5, 9]. In practice, this means equal citizenship for every citizen, plus recognition of Arab citizens as a national minority with collective rights, for example control of Arab education and culture [5, 36]. On the Israeli–Palestinian conflict, the IDI summarises its platform as Israeli withdrawal from all of the contested territories, a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and a right of return for Palestinian refugees [5]. The IDI also lists the separation of religion and state and ending the official status of Zionist institutions among its goals [5].

Base of support. Balad's voters are Arab citizens of Israel. In 2022, running alone, it won 138,617 votes (2.91%) [8]. In recent years it has also placed Jewish candidates on its slate: actor Einat Weitzman in 2022, and in June 2026, for the first time, a Jewish candidate elected in its internal primaries [9, 7].

Current Knesset seats: none. Balad has had no Knesset members since the November 2022 election. Running alone, it fell below the 3.25% electoral threshold (the minimum share of the national vote needed to win seats) [8, 6, 9]. Before that, it had three MKs in the 23rd Knesset (2020–2021): Mtanes Shehadeh, Heba Yazbak and Sami Abu Shehadeh [6, 34]. In the 24th Knesset (2021–2022) Abu Shehadeh headed Balad's sub-faction within the six-member Joint List [64, 18].

The list it runs on: The Joint List, ballot letters ודם. For the 27 October 2026 election, Balad runs on the Joint List (הרשימה המשותפת), ballot letters ודם [56]. The list was submitted jointly by three parties: the Israeli Communist Party (Hadash), the Arab Movement for Renewal (Ta'al) and Balad [1]. Hadash, Ta'al and Balad reached a final agreement on 19 August 2026 [3]. Under the agreement, Hadash chair Yousef Jabareen heads the list, Ta'al chair Ahmad Tibi is second and is expected to chair the Knesset faction, and Balad chair Sami Abu Shehadeh was placed third [3, 16]. Balad also received the 5th and 8th places, with a rotation agreed between places 6 and 9 [3]. The partners agreed that if Balad were disqualified, Hadash and Ta'al could continue running together without it [3]. Early in 2026 the three parties and Ra'am (the United Arab List) had signed understandings to revive a four-party list. Talks with Ra'am failed because Ra'am wanted to keep the option of joining a government after the election, including a commitment that its partners would not block such a move, and the other three would not give that commitment. On 10 June 2026 the three parties announced that they would go ahead without Ra'am while leaving the door open for it to join, and in July 2026 Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas announced it would run alone [3, 4, 82].

In September 2026 the Central Elections Committee (CEC, the body that runs elections and approves candidate lists) voted by 18 to 5, with one abstention, to bar the whole Joint List and, separately, voted to bar Abu Shehadeh personally [83, 21]. (The Jewish Chronicle gave the vote on the list as 15 to 8 [21].) The Supreme Court overturned the bans on the lists [23]. Abu Shehadeh withdrew his candidacy on the night of 1–2 October 2026, after the court said a majority was likely to uphold his personal disqualification. Balad stays on the Joint List, and he remains party chair [2, 20, 23, 24] (see Legal or ethical matters).

History of joint runs and splits. The parties of the Joint List have joined and split several times. Every step is documented below:

  • 1996–2013: Balad ran with Hadash in 1996 and with Ta'al in 1999. From 2003 to 2013 it ran alone, winning three seats each time [5].
  • 2015: Balad, Hadash, Ra'am and Ta'al formed the first Joint List [5, 6, 9].
  • April 2019 (split): the four parties ran as two lists, Ra'am–Balad and Hadash–Ta'al. Ra'am–Balad won four seats and only narrowly crossed the threshold [11, 12].
  • June–July 2019 (reunion): the four parties announced on 19–20 June 2019 that they would run together again for the September 2019 election, and finalised the agreement at the end of July 2019 [11, 12, 84].
  • 2021: Ra'am left the Joint List. Hadash, Ta'al and Balad ran together and won six seats [4].
  • September 2022 (split): on 14 September 2022 the three parties announced a joint run with Abu Shehadeh third [10]. The next night, 15 September 2022, minutes before the list-submission deadline, the deal collapsed. Ynet reported two main points of dispute: Balad's demand to cancel the rotation on the sixth place, where Balad's candidate was placed, and Balad's demand that the list not recommend any candidate for prime minister to the President. Hadash and Ta'al submitted their own list, and Balad ran alone [71, 9]. Abu Shehadeh said Hadash and Ta'al broke the agreement at the last minute and said that then-Prime Minister Yair Lapid was behind it; the Times of Israel reported that he gave no evidence for this [9]. Balad then fell below the threshold [8].
  • August 2026 (reunion): Hadash, Ta'al and Balad agreed to run together again as the Joint List [3, 16].

Polling

Polling average: 5.8% (as of October 2, 2026). Source: Mean of 5 polls published 2026-09-28 to 2026-10-02

Polls included in the average
  • Lazar Research (led by Dr. Menachem Lazar) · Maariv · 2026-09-30–10-01 · 602 respondents · margin of error ±4.0% · published Oct 2, 2026
  • Next Data · Channel 14 (Arutz Achshav 14) · 2026-10-01 · 2145 respondents · margin of error ±2.1% · published Oct 1, 2026
  • Direct Polls (led by Tzuriel Sharon) · i24NEWS (Middle East News 24 Ltd.) · 2026-10-01 · 504 respondents · margin of error ±4.3% · published Oct 1, 2026
  • Maagar Mochot (led by Prof. Yitzhak Katz) · Channel 16 · 2026-09-29 · 550 respondents · margin of error ±4.2% · published Sep 29, 2026
  • Next Data · Channel 14 (Arutz Achshav 14) · 2026-09-28 · 573 respondents · margin of error ±4.1% · published Sep 28, 2026

Leadership and key candidates

Sami Abu Shehadeh, party chair (not a candidate in 2026). Abu Shehadeh was born in 1975 in Lod and lives in Jaffa. He is a historian and a Tel Aviv University graduate [17, 19]. Before entering national politics he directed the Yaffa Youth Movement and sat on the Tel Aviv–Jaffa city council [17]. He served in the Knesset for the Joint List from October 2019 until the 24th Knesset ended in 2022: in the 22nd Knesset (from 3 October 2019), the 23rd (from 16 March 2020) and the 24th (from 6 April 2021) [18]. In January 2021 he was elected Balad chair, succeeding Mtanes Shehadeh [17, 6]. In June 2026 Balad's members re-elected him to head the party's slate in primaries held in Shefa-'Amr [7]. Knesset records list him on 162 bills from his Knesset terms: 161 private bills (160 as an initiator or co-initiator, one as a member who joined later) and one government bill into which his own bill was merged [59] (see Track record). He was placed third on the 2026 Joint List [1, 3] but withdrew his candidacy on the night of 1–2 October 2026 [2, 20, 24]. Balad says he continues to lead the party and its campaign [2, 24].

Khaled Anabtawi, secretary-general. He was elected Balad's secretary-general in August 2024 [6].

Balad's candidates on the Joint List. The CEC list of 9 September 2026 shows Balad's candidates in places 3 (Abu Shehadeh), 5 (Bakr Awawdeh), 8 (Dr. Maha Karkabi-Sabah), 11 (Hassan Nassasra) and 15 (Orly Noy), among others [1]. After Abu Shehadeh withdrew, every candidate below him moved up one place [2]:

  • Bakr Awawdeh (now 4th): described as a veteran Balad political activist; second in Balad's June 2026 primaries [7, 2].
  • Dr. Maha Karkabi-Sabah (now 7th): an academic and physician; third in Balad's primaries [7, 2].
  • Further down the list, Balad's primaries also chose social activist Hassan Nassasra (now 10th) and journalist Orly Noy (now 14th), who chairs the board of the human-rights group B'Tselem. Balad called Noy's selection "a historic decision" because she is the first Jewish candidate chosen in its primaries [7, 1, 2].

Ynet's post-withdrawal report also named Dr. Nahaya Wishahi (now 9th) in its account of what the move meant for Balad, but the CEC filing lists her as a candidate of the Israeli Communist Party (Hadash), not Balad [2, 1].

The Joint List's top candidates from partner parties (named here as partners only): Yousef Jabareen (Hadash, 1st), Ahmad Tibi (Ta'al, 2nd), Faten Ghattas (Hadash) and Ofer Cassif (Hadash) [1, 3, 2].

Positions on the issues

Cost of living

Balad has no current Knesset members, and no 2026 economic platform from the party was found (see Information availability). The evidence comes from the Joint List's 2026 economic plan and from bills Abu Shehadeh sponsored as an MK in 2021–2022, usually together with other Joint List MKs.

  • Formal commitment (Joint List, 2026): The Joint List's ten-point economic and social plan, published on the list's website, calls for raising the minimum wage to at least 70% of the average wage, rent capped at 20% of a household's net income, raising the basic allowance to 25% of the average wage, cutting VAT to 10%, exempting people who earn up to the average wage from income tax, raising tax on financial gains to 30% and cancelling privatisation programmes [85]. This is a plan of the joint list, not of Balad alone.

  • Action: In June 2021 Abu Shehadeh and three other Joint List MKs tabled a bill to cut VAT (the tax added to almost everything you buy) to 1% on price-supervised basic foods: bread, milk and dairy, eggs, flour, sugar and oil [39]. The bill's explanation says removing price supervision to encourage competition had led to "disproportionate" price rises, and that the cut would mainly help poorer households [39].

  • Action: He co-sponsored a bill to link the minimum wage to the consumer price index and update it twice a year, so that low-paid workers "can cope with the cost of living" (May 2021) [40]. In May 2022 he joined a cross-party group of MKs in a bill to raise the minimum wage to NIS 7,280 a month and NIS 40 an hour [41].

  • Action: He co-sponsored bills to ban the electricity company from cutting off households that cannot pay [42], to link the old-age allowance to the minimum wage (he was the first-named sponsor) [43], and to cap the gap between senior executives' pay and the median wage in companies [44].

Closest option(s): Direct help for the hardest-hit households: higher wages and allowances, and protection from service cut-offs (direct-support-for-households). Some bills also fit active state regulation, such as caps on executive pay and tax relief tied to price-supervised goods (active-state-regulation).

Crime in Arab society

No Balad statement was found on the July 2026 government decision to bring the Shin Bet (Israel's internal security service) into the fight against crime organizations. That decision moved about NIS 497 million from a five-year development plan for Arab communities [69]. Balad has had no MKs since 2022, so it has no Knesset votes on the plan.

  • Action: In May 2021 Abu Shehadeh joined MKs from Yesh Atid, Ta'al and Ra'am in a bill to make serious illegal-weapons offences a separate ground for keeping suspects in custody until their trial ends. The bill says illegal guns are especially widespread in Arab society and that light sentences drive their use [49]. This is a tougher-enforcement measure under ordinary criminal law. On 11 May 2022, however, he voted against a private bill setting minimum sentences for weapons offences, which was defeated 53–61 [93].
  • Action: He co-sponsored bills that address what the Joint List sees as root causes: guaranteed Arab representation on planning bodies [48], repeal of the 2017 "Kaminitz" amendment that toughened penalties for building without permits [47], and a new city on state land in the north for Arab citizens [46].
  • Formal commitment (Joint List, 2026): The Joint List's "plan to eradicate organised crime", published on its website, proposes a new development plan for Arab society, stronger police investigation units, a dedicated organised-crime unit in the State Attorney's office, a national authority to coordinate enforcement bodies, wider confiscation of criminal assets, and action against illegal weapons and protection rackets. It says crime cannot be fought "while weakening democracy", and it does not mention the Shin Bet [86]. The joint statement setting up the 2026 Joint List lists "crime" among the harms it blames on the current government's policies, alongside discrimination and house demolitions [4].
  • Statement: In March 2023 Balad warned against the plan to create a National Guard under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir. It called the plan an armed militia that would endanger Arab citizens [30].

Closest option(s): Investment and planning for Arab communities (invest-in-arab-communities-first) together with tougher enforcement under normal law (more-police-resources-normal-law). Both rest on the Joint List's 2026 plan and on Abu Shehadeh's 2021 bills. No documented position on the Shin Bet plan itself was found.

Gaza Strip policy

  • Statement: In April 2024 Abu Shehadeh said, "We are against the war. We are against violence." He called for the release of "all of the hostages and the prisoners, all of them from both sides," and urged the United States to tell Israel "to stop the war now" and pursue a political solution [29].
  • Statement: In October 2025 he called the Trump–Netanyahu plan for Gaza "simply racist, ugly and very humiliating" because, he said, the Palestinians and their leadership had no part in shaping it [28]. In the same interview he said "a very big percentage of the Palestinian people were against the attack of civilians" on October 7, and he described Israel's conduct in Gaza as genocide [28].
  • Statement: In September 2026 Balad's official statement on his disqualification said he holds to "peaceful political action" and rejects "violence and harming people's lives on October 7." It said he also holds to rejecting what the party calls genocide in Gaza, to ending the occupation (the party's term for Israeli rule over the territories taken in 1967) and to stopping all wars [25].
  • Statement (Joint List, 2026): According to a 7 October 2026 review of party positions by Zo Haderech, the weekly of the Israeli Communist Party (Hadash, Balad's partner on the list), the Joint List demands an immediate and complete halt to military operations in Gaza, the withdrawal of all troops and the lifting of the blockade [87].
  • Background: The IDI summarises Balad's long-standing platform as supporting an Israeli withdrawal from all of the contested territories and a Palestinian state [5].

Closest option(s): End the war, withdraw and hand control to a Palestinian government as a step toward a Palestinian state (end-war-full-withdrawal). Balad rejected the US plan as drafted, so advance-international-arrangement does not fit its stated view.

Haredi military enlistment

No Balad statement was found on whether Haredi yeshiva students should be required to serve. The closest evidence concerns the wider "service for all" debate.

  • Action: On 17 January 2022 Abu Shehadeh, then in opposition, voted against the Bennett–Lapid government's bill setting enlistment targets for yeshiva students, which failed in a 54–54 tie [88]. An opposition vote against a government bill does not by itself show a position on Haredi service.
  • Statement: In an official statement in July 2026, Balad urged Arab society to resist the "civil service" (civilian national service) plan. It linked the plan to the "service for all" proposals raised by Naftali Bennett and Gadi Eisenkot "amid the internal Israeli debate over the Haredi draft law." Balad said Arab citizens' rights "may not be linked to service or to a declaration of political loyalty" [31]. It said volunteering should happen through Arab society's own independent institutions, not state programs [31]. Balad's position applies to Arab citizens, who are currently exempt from military service.

Closest option(s): Tentative: no one is forced to serve and rights do not depend on service (voluntary-service-for-all). The mapping is tentative because it rests on indirect evidence: Balad's July 2026 statement that citizens' rights may not be linked to service, which concerns Arab youth and not Haredim specifically.

Housing

Balad's housing record focuses on housing shortages in Arab towns, together with general rental-market regulation.

  • Formal commitment (Joint List, 2026): The Joint List's economic and social plan calls for public housing for everyone without a home, rent capped at 20% of a household's net income, large-scale building of homes for rent or discounted sale by government companies, and a state mortgage bank with interest-free mortgages for first-time buyers [85].
  • Action: In June 2021 Abu Shehadeh co-sponsored a bill to build a new city on state land in the Northern District for Arab citizens. The city would be open to all citizens, with no admissions committee (a body that can vet new residents) [46]. The bill says existing Arab towns are dense, mostly on private land, and short of building plots and jobs [46].
  • Action: He co-sponsored a June 2021 bill to repeal Amendment 116 to the Planning and Building Law (the "Kaminitz law", 2017), which raised penalties for building without permits. The bill says the amendment increased house demolitions and blocks the legalisation of existing buildings [47].
  • Action: He co-sponsored a bill to guarantee Arab citizens fair representation on planning bodies [48] and a bill to limit how much private land authorities can take for public use without paying compensation [59].
  • Dated background (2020; action): With 13 other Joint List MKs, he co-sponsored a "fair rent" bill (September 2020) to create a public rent registry and require landlords to show tenants the rents paid in the previous 12 months, to limit sharp yearly rent rises [45].

Closest option(s): Plan and build much more, especially by releasing state land and planning capacity for Arab communities (speed-up-planning-and-construction), together with state-built housing and rent regulation (state-led-affordable-rental). This rests on Abu Shehadeh's 2021 bills and the Joint List's 2026 plan.

Iran, Hezbollah and the region

No Balad statement specific to the 2026 war with Iran or the 2026 ground operation in Lebanon was found. Its general position is consistent.

  • Statement: In April 2024 Abu Shehadeh warned against "another war on Lebanon and another war on Syria, and opening a crazy war with the Iranians." He said: "Why do we need all these wars? We want this to be the last war" [29].
  • Statement: Balad's September 2026 statement says its chair holds to "stopping all wars and achieving a just and comprehensive peace" [25].
  • Formal commitment: The 2026 joint statement of Hadash, Ta'al and Balad lists "war and aggression" among the government policies the alliance wants to end [4].
  • Statement: In an October 2023 interview Abu Shehadeh criticised normalization deals between Israel and Arab states that, in his view, skip over the Palestinian issue [19].

Closest option(s): End military operations and seek regional peace through diplomacy (end-military-operations-regional-peace).

Judea and Samaria

  • Formal commitment: The IDI summarises Balad's platform as Israeli withdrawal from all of the contested territories, a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital, and a right of return for Palestinian refugees [5].
  • Statement (Joint List, 2026): According to Zo Haderech's 7 October 2026 review, the Joint List supports an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel on the 4 June 1967 lines (the pre-1967 border) with East Jerusalem as its capital, and the evacuation of all settlements and outposts in Judea and Samaria [87].
  • Action (2020–2021; the 2020 bills are dated background): In September 2020 Balad's three MKs (Mtanes Shehadeh, Heba Yazbak and Abu Shehadeh) tabled a "Settlements Evacuation" bill [34]. It would have the state adopt UN Security Council Resolutions 446 and 2334, declare the settlements in Judea and Samaria, East Jerusalem and the Golan Heights illegal, and evacuate them within six months [34]. On the same day they tabled a bill to take down the separation barrier (the security fence Israel began building in 2002) and pay compensation to people harmed by it [35]. In July 2020 Abu Shehadeh joined 14 other Joint List MKs in a proposed "Basic Law: A Democratic, Egalitarian and Shared State". It would set Israel's borders as the area where Israeli law applied until 5 June 1967 [33]. In 2020 and again in 2021 he co-sponsored repeal of the 1981 Golan Heights Law, which applied Israeli law to the Golan [59].
  • Action (votes, 2021–2022): Abu Shehadeh voted against bills to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria on 28 July 2021 (defeated 50–64) and 22 June 2022 (defeated 46–52), and on 6 June 2022 against the bill extending the regulations that apply Israeli law to Israelis living in Judea and Samaria (defeated 52–58) [89, 90, 91].
  • Statement: Abu Shehadeh has also framed the goal in terms of equality rather than a specific map. In April 2024 he said: "one-state solution, two-state, I don't care … the issue is that you deal with human beings, all of them as equal human beings" [29]. On 5 October 2026 he told the Joint List's Hebrew campaign launch that "it is possible to build a state on the basis of justice and equality for the two peoples" [26]. In October 2023 he said Balad recognises Israelis' right to self-determination and wants the same rights for Palestinians [19].

Closest option(s): Two states on the exact pre-1967 border, with all settlements evacuated and East Jerusalem as the Palestinian capital (two-states-pre-1967-border). This rests on the Joint List's 2026 position as reported by its partner's weekly and on Abu Shehadeh's 2021–2022 votes against applying sovereignty; Balad's 2020 bills are dated background that points the same way. The leader's statements in 2024 and 2026 also leave room for one state with equal rights (one-equal-state).

Judicial system

  • Statement: In April 2023 Abu Shehadeh said: "We totally oppose this reform." He argued that Israel has no constitution, that Arab citizens had relied on the courts to defend themselves against the government and the Knesset, and that the changes would take that option away [27].
  • Statement: He also criticised the protest movement against the changes. He said it ignored what he called the occupation and discrimination and wanted to "go back to the bad situation that was a few months ago." He called instead for "a real democracy" built on equality [27]. A Balad statement in March 2023 said the dispute was about "redrawing the limits of democracy for Jews only" [30].
  • Action (vote, 2021): On 14 July 2021 Abu Shehadeh voted against an opposition bill to amend Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty so that a law could stay valid despite a court ruling; it was defeated 50–62 [92].
  • Action (2021 bill): Abu Shehadeh co-sponsored "Basic Law: Equality" (2021), a proposed basic law (a law with constitutional status) that the explanatory notes present as a response to the 2018 Nation-State Law [38].
  • Dated background (2020; action): He co-sponsored the 2020 "Democratic, Egalitarian and Shared State" Basic Law bill, which says any law that contradicts it would be void [33].
  • Action (2021 bill): He co-sponsored a Basic Law amendment to end the term of a prime minister or minister once an indictment is filed (2021) [50].
  • Dated background (2020; action): He co-sponsored a Basic Law amendment to bar a Knesset member under indictment for a serious crime from being given the task of forming a government (2020) [51].

Closest option(s): Reverse the government's changes and protect the courts' independence in a basic law (repeal-changes-protect-independence). This rests on the chair's 2023 statements. Balad also wants a constitution-level guarantee of equality, shown by its 2021 "Basic Law: Equality" bill, which overlaps with broad-agreed-constitutional-framework.

October 7 inquiry

No documented position found. No Balad or Abu Shehadeh statement was found on who should appoint the members of an Israeli commission of inquiry into October 7. Searches covered Hebrew, English and Arabic news, Balad statements reported by Arab48, and coverage of the 2025–2026 Knesset and court debates. During the September–October 2026 disqualification hearing, his lawyer told the Supreme Court that Abu Shehadeh "expressed support for an international commission of inquiry to investigate all the crimes committed since October 7" [20]. That statement concerns an international investigation, not the Israeli appointment question asked here.

Religion and state

No documented position found. This applies to the current party: no Balad statement, bill or vote from 2021 onwards on civil marriage, the Chief Rabbinate, conversion or Shabbat arrangements was found. The checks covered Abu Shehadeh's 2021–2022 bills in the Knesset's records, the titles of the 24th Knesset's plenum votes on marriage and Shabbat bills, the Joint List's 2026 plans and the news coverage cited in this document [59, 85]. The older material below is dated background only:

  • Background: The IDI lists "separation of religion and state" among Balad's platform goals [5].
  • Background (2018): In June 2018 Balad's three MKs at the time (Jamal Zahalka, Haneen Zoabi and Jumah Azbarga) submitted a proposed "Basic Law: State of All Its Citizens". According to the human-rights group Adalah, which represented them, it guaranteed "separation between religion and state" and equal citizenship [32]. The Knesset presidium (the speaker and deputy speakers) blocked it from being debated on 4 June 2018, saying it denied Israel's existence as the state of the Jewish people [32].
  • Background (2020): The 2020 "Democratic, Egalitarian and Shared State" Basic Law co-sponsored by Abu Shehadeh would guarantee equally the "national, cultural, linguistic and religious" uniqueness of both national groups, Jewish and Arab. It would also give the Arab community its own institutions in education, culture, media and religion, run by elected Arab bodies [33].

Other notable positions

A state of all its citizens and the Nation-State Law

  • Formal commitment: Balad's core demand is that Israel become "a state of all its citizens" [5, 9]. In September 2022 Abu Shehadeh said most Arab citizens want this rather than a Jewish state [9].
  • Action: In June 2021 Abu Shehadeh was the sole sponsor of a bill to repeal Basic Law: Israel – the Nation-State of the Jewish People (2018). He said it contradicts democratic principles and the right to equality [37]. He co-sponsored "Basic Law: Equality", which includes affirmative action for disadvantaged groups [38], and the 2020 shared-state Basic Law. That bill also calls for symbols, a flag and an anthem that reflect Jewish and Arab citizens equally, and for immigration and citizenship rules to treat all citizens equally [33].

Recognition of Arab citizens as a national minority

  • Dated background (2020; action): In June 2020 Balad's three MKs proposed "Basic Law: The Arab Minority as a National Minority", which would recognise collective rights, including the right to run its own cultural affairs [36]. In December 2020 they proposed a separate Arab state-education system run by Arab citizens, describing them as a national minority entitled to manage their own education [52].
  • Action: In February 2022 Abu Shehadeh co-sponsored a bill to anchor Arabic as an official language in primary legislation [57].

Citizenship and family reunification

  • Action: On 5–6 July 2021 Abu Shehadeh, with the rest of the Joint List, voted against extending the Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law, which effectively barred residency or citizenship for Palestinians from Judea and Samaria and Gaza who marry Israeli citizens. The extension failed 59–59, with two abstentions [72, 60, 61]. Interior Minister Ayelet Shaked named Abu Shehadeh and Ofer Cassif among those who "blocked" the law [60].
  • Action: He co-sponsored bills to repeal that law in 2019 and 2020, and in June 2022 a bill to repeal the new version passed in 2022, calling it discriminatory against Arab citizens [58, 59]. On 10 March 2022 he voted against that new version at its final reading, where it passed 45–15 [94].

Land, the Negev and Arab localities

  • Action: He co-sponsored a May 2021 bill to abolish the government Authority for the Development and Settlement of the Bedouin in the Negev. The bill says the authority plans the removal of Bedouin citizens from land they have held since before 1948 [54]. In May 2020 Balad's three MKs proposed returning property held under the 1950 Absentees' Property Law to its owners who later became Israeli citizens [53].

Historical memory

  • Action: In November 2021 he co-sponsored a bill for the state to formally recognise its responsibility for the 1956 Kafr Qasim massacre, in which Israeli forces killed residents of the Arab village, and to commemorate the victims and teach its lessons [55].

Jewish–Arab partnership and representation

  • Action: Balad placed Jewish actor Einat Weitzman on its 2022 slate [9]. In June 2026 its primaries chose journalist Orly Noy, chair of B'Tselem's board, as the first Jewish candidate elected through the party's own primaries [7].
  • Statement: In October 2023 Abu Shehadeh said Balad recognises Israelis' "right … for self-determination" and their collective rights "as a national group that has its base in the Hebrew language," and seeks the same for Palestinians [19].

Opposition to civilian national service for Arab youth

  • Statement: Balad opposes civilian national service for Arab citizens. It calls such programs an attempt to tie Arab citizens' rights to loyalty, and it criticised Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas for promoting them (July 2026) [31].

Workers, pensioners and welfare

  • Action: Besides the minimum-wage and allowance bills above [40, 41, 43], Abu Shehadeh's bills include unemployment benefits for the self-employed and for interns, higher child allowances for twins, pregnancy-protection benefits for the full period, and limits on deducting debts from wages [59]. His own bill to renew older citizens' property-tax (arnona) discounts automatically, without a new application each year, was merged into a government bill that became law in March 2022 [81, 59].

Women and gender equality

  • Action: He co-sponsored bills for gender budgeting across public budgets [70], for party-funding incentives for women's representation in Knesset elections, and to extend sexual-harassment protections to self-employed workers, volunteers and schools [59].

Disability and accessibility

  • Action: He co-sponsored bills to set up a national institute for Israeli Sign Language, require subtitles and sign language on television and in emergency announcements, install cameras in special-education settings, and require medical interpreters for patients [59].

Environment and public health

  • Action: In 2022 he co-sponsored a series of bills requiring companies, pension funds and government companies to disclose environmental risks, and a bill on coastal-environment planning [59]. In May 2022 the Knesset passed a law he co-initiated that ends the exemption allowing tobacco advertising in the printed press [80, 59].

Public integrity

  • Action: He co-sponsored Basic Law amendments to bar an indicted MK from forming a government and to end the term of an indicted prime minister or minister [51, 50]. In October 2026 Joint List chair Jabareen said a law barring a person under criminal indictment from forming a government could pass after the election "with our support" [65].

Coalition stance

Balad has never been part of an Israeli governing coalition [4]. Its stated position, as reported in 2022, is not to recommend any Zionist candidate for prime minister [9]. The record has one exception, in March 2020.

  • 2026: Statement. After the Joint List was formed in August 2026, Abu Shehadeh said Balad would not be a "tool" for prime-ministerial candidates: "We are building a democratic political alternative that will be a safety net for our society, not for Netanyahu and not for Eisenkot" (reported 29 August 2026) [16]. On 1 October 2026 Balad said the Joint List would keep working "to contribute to toppling the Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir government" [24]. The three parties' joint statement sets the goal of bringing down the current government [4]. In September 2026 Balad urged voters not to vote for "Zionist parties that support disqualifying" Arab representatives, after The Democrats party backed the disqualification of Abu Shehadeh [25].
  • 2026: Joint List leadership (partner statements). On 5 October 2026 Jabareen, asked about supporting a minority government, said the list wants to be "a safety net for the Arab public and for the Jewish democratic public" and would decide "after the elections" [65]. On 22 September 2026 he criticised Eisenkot for backing the disqualification of Abu Shehadeh [66].
  • What potential partners say. Gadi Eisenkot said in September 2026 that one of his conditions for joining a future government would be recognition of Hamas as a terror organization that must be dismantled, adding, "I don't see any Arab party accepting that" [22]. The three Joint List parties refused Ra'am's demand to keep the option of joining a government [3, 4].

Track record of keeping such pledges:

  • September 2019: Hadash, Ta'al and Ra'am recommended Benny Gantz for prime minister. Balad's three MKs refused and skipped the meeting with the president. Balad cited Gantz's "Zionist ideology", his "right-wing positions" and his military record [62].
  • March 2020: All 15 Joint List MKs, including Balad's, recommended Gantz [63]. Change over time: Balad had refused in September 2019 to recommend Gantz because of his "Zionist ideology" [62]. In March 2020 Ayman Odeh said Balad "had a very clear position that they opposed any recommendation" but accepted the majority decision to keep the list united, and its MKs recommended Gantz [63].
  • May 2021: Five of six Joint List MKs recommended Yair Lapid. Ynetnews reported that Abu Shehadeh, head of the Balad sub-faction, was not expected to recommend anyone [64].
  • June 2021 onwards: Balad stayed in opposition to the Bennett–Lapid government. Abu Shehadeh voted against the vote of confidence that installed it on 13 June 2021 (60–59) [73], and against extending the Citizenship Law in July 2021 [72].
  • 2022: The Times of Israel reported that Balad refused to recommend any Zionist candidate for prime minister [9].

Track record

Balad has never been in government [4]. Its record is in opposition.

Legislation. As an MK (October 2019–2022), Abu Shehadeh appears in the Knesset's records on 161 private bills (160 as an initiator or co-initiator, one as a member who joined later) [59]. Most never passed a preliminary reading: 127 were still listed as tabled for a preliminary debate when the Knesset ended, and others were stopped or never voted on. A few advanced to committee [59]. Three laws that include his bills were passed: the tobacco-advertising amendment that ended the printed-press exemption (May 2022) [80, 59]; a government bill on older citizens, into which his bill on automatic renewal of property-tax discounts was merged (March 2022) [81, 59]; and the law that dissolved the 24th Knesset (June 2022) [59]. The main themes of his bills were:

  • equality and national-minority rights [33, 36, 37, 38];
  • ending Israeli control beyond the pre-1967 line [34, 35];
  • wages, allowances and cost of living [39, 40, 41, 42, 43, 44];
  • housing and planning for Arab communities [45, 46, 47, 48];
  • tougher action against illegal weapons [49];
  • public integrity [50, 51].

Promises vs. delivery. Balad's main promises have been "a state of all its citizens", national-minority rights and ending Israeli rule beyond the pre-1967 line [5, 9]. None of the related bills passed [59]. Its 2018 "State of All Its Citizens" Basic Law was blocked by the Knesset presidium before debate [32]. Its opposition votes helped defeat the Citizenship Law extension in July 2021 [72, 60, 61].

Votes. The votes described in this document were checked in the Knesset's official records. Among them: Abu Shehadeh voted against the Bennett–Lapid government's investiture in June 2021 and against extending the Citizenship Law in July 2021 [73, 72]. The prime-minister recommendations are taken from press reports [62, 63, 64]. His full voting record was not reviewed.

Elections. Balad won three seats in each election from 2003 to 2013 [5]. Since 2015 it has run on joint lists, except in 2022, when it ran alone and won no seats [8].

Party disqualification attempts. The CEC has voted several times to bar Balad or its candidates, and each time the Supreme Court overturned the decision:

  • before the 2003 election: the CEC barred Balad and Azmi Bishara, and an 11-justice Supreme Court panel overturned the decisions in January 2003 [5, 77];
  • before the 2009 election: the Supreme Court overturned the CEC's ban on Balad on 21 January 2009, by 8 to 1 [5, 78];
  • in March 2019, against the Ra'am–Balad list (by 17 to 10, against the Attorney General's advice); the Supreme Court overturned it on 17 March 2019 [13, 79];
  • in September 2022, when the CEC voted 9 to 5 to bar Balad and the Supreme Court unanimously reversed it on 9 October 2022 [14, 15]. At that hearing, the Attorney General's representative noted that Balad had not re-tabled its "state of all its citizens" bill since 2019 [15].

Legal or ethical matters involving leaders

Sami Abu Shehadeh: disqualification proceedings, 2026 (election-law proceeding, not a criminal case).

  • The article. The proceedings concern an Arabic-language article Abu Shehadeh published on 8 October 2023, the day after the October 7 attack. Reuters reported that the article described the attack as an "important historical event" [23]. Before the Supreme Court, the Attorney General's representative said that the article, after discussing Israel's intelligence failure, drew the lesson that Israeli intelligence is not all-powerful and that if "we" organise properly, as Gaza had succeeded, "we" can also do so [20].
  • The CEC decision. In September 2026 the CEC accepted a petition by Otzma Yehudit, voting 30 to 4 to bar him [21, 20]. It accepted both grounds raised under Basic Law: The Knesset: denying Israel's existence as a Jewish and democratic state, and supporting the armed struggle of a terror organization [20]. The CEC chair, Justice Noam Sohlberg, and Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara opposed barring the Joint List as a whole but supported barring Abu Shehadeh [21].
  • The Attorney General's position. Before the Supreme Court, her representative argued that the article "unfortunately shows support for an armed struggle against the state" [20].
  • His response. Abu Shehadeh denied supporting the attack. He said the article was meant as a warning, and that had he known the scale of the atrocities he would not have published it [20, 22]. He said he "never called for violence" [22].
  • Status. At the hearing on 1 October 2026 the judges said a majority was likely to uphold the disqualification and suggested he consider whether to maintain his candidacy. Balad's central committee and political bureau agreed that night that he would withdraw [20, 2, 24]. In its ruling of 2 October 2026 the court said a majority had been likely to uphold the ban, but his withdrawal made the question moot, so there is no final ruling on his case [2, 23]. Reuters reported that, according to the ruling, the judges unanimously described his statements as "painful, disturbing and revolting" [23]. Current status: not a candidate; the proceeding ended without a final ruling; he remains Balad chair [2, 24].

Abu Shehadeh: detention, November 2023. On 9 November 2023 police detained several Arab public figures, including Abu Shehadeh, former Hadash MK Mohammad Barakeh and former Balad MKs Mtanes Shehadeh and Haneen Zoabi, as they tried to hold a protest in Nazareth against the Gaza war. Police said they had not approved the protest and that it could harm public order [75, 68]. They were released later the same day; Adalah, which represented them, reported that the release conditions included a ban on entering Nazareth for up to 14 days [76]. Status: released the same day; no investigation file or indictment arising from this detention was found in the sources checked.

Party funding investigation (2013–2015 campaigns). After a referral from the State Comptroller, then-Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit opened a police investigation, launched in 2016, into Balad's reports on donations and campaign spending [67, 74].

  • Abu Shehadeh: he was questioned in that investigation, around the end of 2017, about campaign offices in the 2015 election when he was a district manager. Status: the case against him was closed without charges [67].
  • Other officials: the Attorney General announced charges in April 2021 against 13 Balad officials and activists, among them former MK Haneen Zoabi, who is not a candidate and no longer a party leader. On 4 October 2021 the Nazareth Magistrate's Court convicted them in a plea agreement of forgery and fraud offences relating to reports submitted to the State Comptroller. Sentences included fines, suspended prison terms and service work [74, 67].
  • The party: the cases against former chair Jamal Zahalka, former MK Basel Ghattas and against Balad as a party were closed [67]. The Times of Israel reported that Mandelblit decided not to indict the party, although he said the evidence pointed to its guilt, because of the harm an indictment would cause to party members who were not involved [74].
  • Balad's response: the party called the case political persecution and said the prosecution had dropped most of its claims [67].

Other leaders. No indictments, convictions or official inquiries were found involving secretary-general Khaled Anabtawi or Balad's 2026 candidates Bakr Awawdeh and Maha Karkabi-Sabah. Searches covered Hebrew, English and Arabic news and the disqualification coverage, in which petitions targeted only Abu Shehadeh among Balad's candidates [21, 20].

Sources

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  49. הצעת חוק סדר הדין הפלילי (סמכויות אכיפה – מעצרים) (תיקון – מעצר עד תום ההליכים בגין עבירה של החזקת נשק שלא כדין) (P/1401/24). Knesset, 2021-05-31. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_601370.docx
  50. הצעת חוק-יסוד: הממשלה (תיקון – הפסקת כהונה של ראש הממשלה, שר או סגן שר מחמת הגשת כתב אישום) (P/2346/24). Knesset, 2021-10-25. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_609530.docx
  51. הצעת חוק-יסוד: הממשלה (תיקון – סייג להטלת התפקיד להרכיב ממשלה) (P/165/23). Knesset, 2020-04-20. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/23/law/23_lst_568655.docx
  52. הצעת חוק חינוך ממלכתי (תיקון – חינוך ממלכתי ערבי) (P/2557/23). Knesset, 2020-12-21. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/23/law/23_lst_593129.docx
  53. הצעת חוק נכסי נפקדים (תיקון – החזרת נכסים לנפקד שהפך לאזרח) (P/567/23). Knesset, 2020-05-11. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/23/law/23_lst_570261.docx
  54. הצעת חוק לביטול הרשות לפיתוח והתיישבות הבדואים בנגב (P/828/24). Knesset, 2021-05-18. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_600488.docx
  55. הצעת חוק הנצחת זכרם של קורבנות הטבח בכפר קאסם (P/2434/24). Knesset, 2021-11-08. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_610906.docx
  56. ועדת הבחירות המרכזית פרסמה את הפתקים של כל המפלגות לכנסת ה-26. Ynet, 2026-09-27. https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/s1ibdii5fe
  57. הצעת חוק השפה הערבית שפה רשמית (P/3340/24). Knesset, 2022-02-21. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_620446.docx
  58. הצעת חוק האזרחות והכניסה לישראל (הוראת שעה) (תיקון – ביטול החוק) (P/4024/24). Knesset, 2022-06-20. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_627746.docx
  59. Knesset open data: bill-initiator records for MK Sami Abu Shehadeh (PersonID 30751), with the matching KNS_Bill records (type, Knesset, status). Knesset, accessed 2026-10-07. https://www.knesset.gov.il/OdataV4/ParliamentInfo/KNS_BillInitiator?$filter=PersonID%20eq%2030751
  60. 'Netanyahu joined with Arab MKs to undermine Israel's security'. Israel National News, 2021-07-06. https://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/309336
  61. Israel's new government fails to extend contentious citizenship law. The Boston Globe (The New York Times), 2021-07-06. https://www.bostonglobe.com/2021/07/06/world/israels-new-government-fails-extend-contentious-citizenship-law
  62. As Joint List backs Gantz, Netanyahu says: I told you so. The Times of Israel, 2019-09-22. https://www.timesofisrael.com/as-joint-list-backs-gantz-netanyahu-says-i-told-you-so/
  63. Joint List unanimously backs Gantz to form next government. Ynetnews, 2020-03-15. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/SJEbRYiBU
  64. Most of Joint List to recommend Lapid to form government. Ynetnews, 2021-05-05. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rki8LGlOd
  65. יו"ר הרשימה המשותפת: אפשר יהיה להעביר בתמיכתנו חוק שימנע מנאשם בפלילים להרכיב ממשלה. Haaretz, 2026-10-05. https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/elections/2026-10-05/ty-article/.premium/000001a1-0d1b-da81-abf3-dddb88d60000
  66. Joint List attacks Eisenkot; Gantz joins bid to disqualify Balad chief Abu Shehadeh (Ariela Karmel). The Times of Israel, 2026-09-22. https://www.timesofisrael.com/liveblog_entry/joint-list-attacks-eisenkot-gantz-joins-bid-to-disqualify-balad-chief-abu-shehadeh/
  67. מזוודות מזומנים, תרומות ממקור עלום, זיוף חשבוניות: תיק המסמכים מפרשת השחיתות בבל"ד נפתח. Israel Hayom, 2022-09-01. https://www.israelhayom.co.il/magazine/hashavua/article/13024592
  68. Ex-Arab lawmaker arrested over alleged incitement to terror. Ynetnews, 2026-06-24. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/h17f4nofmg
  69. Government expands Shin Bet role in fight against Arab organized crime. Ynetnews, 2026-07-16. https://www.ynetnews.com/article/skjwiylnfl
  70. הצעת חוק החלת תקצוב מגדרי על תקציבים ציבוריים בישראל (P/2369/24). Knesset, 2021-10-25. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_609503.docx
  71. המהלך שעשוי לחרוץ את גורל הבחירות: הרשימה המשותפת התפלגה. Ynet, 2022-09-15. https://www.ynet.co.il/news/election2022/article/h1hin1111zo
  72. Knesset plenum vote 35027: Citizenship and Entry into Israel (Temporary Provision) order, extension (5 July 2021), member results. Knesset open data, accessed 2026-10-07. https://www.knesset.gov.il/OdataV4/ParliamentInfo/KNS_PlenumVoteResult?$filter=VoteID%20eq%2035027
  73. Knesset plenum vote 35004: vote on forming the alternation government (13 June 2021), member results. Knesset open data, accessed 2026-10-07. https://www.knesset.gov.il/OdataV4/ParliamentInfo/KNS_PlenumVoteResult?$filter=VoteID%20eq%2035004
  74. Former MK Hanin Zoabi, 12 others convicted in Balad party fraud scandal. The Times of Israel, 2021-10-04. https://www.timesofisrael.com/former-mk-hanin-zoabi-12-others-convicted-in-balad-party-fraud-scandal
  75. 4 former Arab MKs detained on their way to an anti-war protest. The Times of Israel, 2023-11-09. https://www.timesofisrael.com/4-former-arab-mks-detained-on-their-way-to-an-anti-war-protest/
  76. Palestinian Political Leadership in Israel Detained for Anti-War Protest. Adalah, 2023-11-09. https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/10955
  77. Elections Disqualifications Cases (2003: Election Appeal 131/03, Balad v. Central Elections Committee; Election Confirmation 50/03). Adalah, n.d. https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/6594
  78. Israeli Supreme Court Overturns Elections Committee Decision to Disqualify Arab Political Parties from Running in Knesset Elections. Adalah, 2009-01-21. https://www.adalah.org/en/content/view/7052
  79. Israel's Top Court Bars Far-Right Politician From Next Month's Election. Voice of America (via GlobalSecurity.org), 2019-03-17. https://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/israel/israel-190317-voa01.htm
  80. הצעת חוק איסור פרסומת והגבלת השיווק של מוצרי טבק ועישון (תיקון – ביטול החרגת העיתונות המודפסת) (P/1387/24). Knesset, 2021-05-31. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_601367.docx
  81. הצעת חוק האזרחים הוותיקים (תיקון – חידוש אוטומטי של הנחה בארנונה) (P/2699/24). Knesset, 2021-12. https://fs.knesset.gov.il/24/law/24_lst_613732.docx
  82. Arab parties intend to reestablish Joint List, leaving out Abbas's Ra'am. The Jerusalem Post, 2026-06-10. https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/politics-and-diplomacy/article-899019
  83. דרמה בוועדת הבחירות: אחרי רע"ם, גם המשותפת נפסלה. Srugim, 2026-09-23. https://www.srugim.co.il/101011778-%D7%93%D7%A8%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%95%D7%95%D7%A2%D7%93%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%91%D7%97%D7%99%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%90%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%A8%D7%A2%D7%9D-%D7%92%D7%9D-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA%D7%A4%D7%AA
  84. Israel's four main Arab political parties, after split, will again run as a bloc. Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 2019-07-29. https://www.jta.org/quick-reads/israels-four-main-arab-political-parties-recreate-joint-list
  85. התוכנית הכלכלית-חברתית (economic and social plan). The Joint List (official website), accessed 2026-10-12. https://jointlist.org.il/he/economic-plan/
  86. התכנית למיגור הפשיעה המאורגנת (plan to eradicate organised crime). The Joint List (official website), accessed 2026-10-12. https://jointlist.org.il/he/crime-plan/
  87. עשרים יום לבחירות לאחר שלוש שנות מלחמה: המפלגות והסיכוי לשלום באזור. Zo Haderech (Israeli Communist Party weekly), 2026-10-07. https://zoha.org.il/148519/
  88. Plenum vote 36544: Security Service Law (Amendment No. 25) (integration of yeshiva students), first reading (54 for, 54 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), 2022-01-17 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/36544
  89. Plenum vote 34961: bill to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, preliminary reading (50 for, 64 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), 2021-07-28 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/34961
  90. Plenum vote 37375: bill to apply Israeli sovereignty to Judea and Samaria, preliminary reading (46 for, 52 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), 2022-06-22 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/37375
  91. Plenum vote 37279: bill to extend the emergency regulations (Judea and Samaria – jurisdiction and legal assistance) (52 for, 58 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), 2022-06-06 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/37279
  92. Plenum vote 35062: Basic Law: Human Dignity and Liberty (validity of an overriding law) amendment bill, preliminary reading (50 for, 62 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), 2021-07-14 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/35062
  93. Plenum vote 37100: Penal Law (Minimum Sentences for Weapons Offences) Bill, preliminary reading (53 for, 61 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), 2022-05-11 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/37100
  94. Plenum vote 37006: Citizenship and Entry into Israel Law (Temporary Order), 2022, third reading (45 for, 15 against) (per-MK results). Knesset vote-details service (official record), 2022-03-10 (accessed 2026-10-12). https://www.knesset.gov.il/WebSiteApi/knessetapi/Votes/GetVoteDetails/37006

Information availability

Enough public information exists to describe Balad's positions, though with gaps worth noting. Balad has been active since the 1990s and has a long Knesset record, including its chair's 2019–2022 bills and votes, which are available from the Knesset's open data. Its 2026 disqualification proceedings were covered in detail by Hebrew, English and Arabic media.

The gaps:

  • Balad has had no Knesset members since November 2022, so it has no voting record in the current Knesset.
  • No 2026 party platform was found. The party's website (altajamoa.org) could not be reached. The Joint List has published an economic and social plan and a plan against organised crime on its website, but no full joint platform was found [85, 86].
  • Only selected 2021–2022 votes of its chair were checked against the Knesset's official record (the government's investiture, the Citizenship Law, sovereignty bills, the 2022 enlistment bill and a few others); his full 2019–2022 voting record was not reviewed.
  • Positions on Haredi enlistment, the October 7 inquiry, the Shin Bet crime plan and the 2026 Iran and Lebanon fighting rest on general statements or on no specific statement at all. On religion and state only evidence from before 2021 was found, so no current position is given.