An Open Letter to Sami Abu Shehadeh

October 2026

To Mr. Sami Abou Shehadeh

Chair, Balad (National Democratic Assembly)

Dear Sami,

We are writing to you on behalf of the forum “Silence Is a Crime,” a forum of women and men working in mental health and social welfare who oppose silence and silencing, and who are committed to raising a clear and unequivocal voice against the war crimes being committed by Israel in Gaza and the West Bank, and against the political persecution, discrimination and racism directed at Palestinians within the 1948 territories.

We followed with deep concern the hearing held at the Supreme Court, in which a majority of the justices supported disqualifying you from taking part in the current election process. We were appalled by this theatre of the absurd, which mirrors the Orwellian reality: “War is peace. Freedom is slavery. Ignorance is strength.” In such a reality, where everything is turned against reason and morality, it is important to us to state clearly: we stand with you! It is our view that the Court, rather than guarding against Knesset candidates who negate the democratic character of the state, as the law requires, has instead contributed, through its recommendation to remove your candidacy, to the ongoing erosion of democracy in this country. In our eyes, the Court’s position is a symptom of a degeneration from which we suffer as a society and as a nation. We all pay the price of this degeneration, yet there is no doubt that every Palestinian citizen of Israel is harmed by it in particular, at a time when even the law enforcement authorities have long ceased to offer protection against racism. Graver still is when racism and this degeneration strike publicly at a specific person, as in the decision to endorse your disqualification from the Knesset, and thereby turn you into a target for destructive forces, like a lightning rod into which the harmful force is channelled.

When widespread denial makes it possible to justify crimes against the Palestinian people, when the very perception of reality is under attack and gaslighting has become a weapon in the hands of those in power, it is important to us, with this letter, to stick to our path and raise a clear and lucid voice in support of you, Sami, and to stand in solidarity with Balad, with the Joint List, and with the Palestinian people.

In warm regards and solidarity,

The "Silence is a Crime" Forum

Mental Health and Welfare Professionals