ON
← Back to feed
Arab party candidate under pressure to withdraw over sexual harassment allegations
IL🏛️ PoliticsLean Progressive9/3/2026

Arab party candidate under pressure to withdraw over sexual harassment allegations

Jafar Farah, a candidate for the Israeli Knesset representing the Arab-majority Hadash party, faces pressure to withdraw from the election due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment. These allegations, reportedly dating back to 2019, were submitted to two advocacy organizations, Women Against Violence and Assiwar-The Feminist Arab Movement, and later brought to the attention of the Hadash party itself. While Hadash has established a review team to examine the situation, it has clarified that this group is not an investigative body and cannot confirm the validity of the claims. Instead, the team focused on how the party should respond politically and ethically. Despite being advised to step down, Farah has refused, stating he denies all allegations and believes the complaints are timed to damage him and his party. However, internal discussions suggest that Farah was aware of the accusations, though he initially denied receiving them.

Leftist Hadash Party documents reveal that seven women have accused candidate Jafar Farah of sexual harassment. The allegations, which include both verbal and physical misconduct, were submitted to two advocacy groups, Women Against Violence and Assiwar-The Feminist Arab Movement, between 2019 and recently. According to a report by Haaretz, the complaints were initially filed with these organizations and later escalated to the Hadash party itself. Farah, who is second on the Hadash party list and part of a joint electoral slate with the Ta’al and Balad parties, has denied the accusations. He claims the recent resurgence of the allegations is an attempt to damage him, the Hadash party, and the broader Joint List coalition. Despite this, he has expressed regret if any of his actions unintentionally caused discomfort. Hadash established a special review team to examine the claims, though it emphasized that the group does not function as an investigative body. Instead, it focused on the political and ethical implications of the allegations. In August, the team recommended that Farah withdraw from the election, but he rejected the suggestion. During a party meeting, the review team confirmed that seven separate complaints had been made against Farah by women with no known connections. These complaints originated from Palestinian, Jewish, and international women. The team concluded that if any complaint is submitted to police or made public, Hadash should demand Farah’s removal from the Knesset ballot. Farah left the meeting abruptly after being confronted about having received the allegations, contradicting his earlier denial. The team stated that the complainants had requested that the details remain confidential. The review found some incidents to be ambiguous while others constituted clear physical abuse. Hadash reiterated that it would not disregard the claims but insisted on due process before taking action. Israel is set to hold elections on October 27.

How this report was made. Objective News wrote this report from 2 source articles, using AI-assisted synthesis under our methodology. It is our own text, not a copy of any single outlet. Read our methodology.

Responsible editor: Matej BašaSpotted an error? Report it

2 reports

The Times of Israel logoThe Times of IsraelIndependentCenterFactual 85Objective 789/3/2026
Arab party candidate under pressure to withdraw over sexual harassment allegations

Jafar Farah, a candidate for the Israeli Knesset representing the Arab-majority Hadash party, faces pressure to withdraw from the election due to multiple allegations of sexual harassment. These allegations, reportedly dating back to 2019, were submitted to two advocacy organizations, Women Against Violence and Assiwar-The Feminist Arab Movement, and later brought to the attention of the Hadash party itself. While Hadash has established a review team to examine the situation, it has clarified that this group is not an investigative body and cannot confirm the validity of the claims. Instead, the team focused on how the party should respond politically and ethically. Despite being advised to step down, Farah has refused, stating he denies all allegations and believes the complaints are timed to damage him and his party. However, internal discussions suggest that Farah was aware of the accusations, though he initially denied receiving them.

Bias read (Center): The article presents both the allegations against Jafar Farah and his denial of wrongdoing, offering balanced perspectives from various sources. It does not favor one side over the other and includes statements from both the complainants and Farah himself. There is no clear indication of biased phrа

Why factuality (85): The article provides detailed information based on multiple sources including Hebrew media reports, Ynet, and Haaretz. It accurately describes the situation involving Jafar Farah, the allegations, the response from Hadash party, and the process undertaken. While there is no primary source document,

Why objectivity (78): The article presents the facts in a neutral manner, reporting on both the allegations and the party's response. However, it includes some emotionally charged language such as 'under pressure to withdraw' and mentions Farah's denial, which may slightly lean towards a narrative rather than pure neutra

Haaretz logoHaaretzIndependent🔒ProgressiveFactual 65Objective 458/31/2026
Leftist Hadash Party Documents: 7 Women Accused Candidate of Sexual Harassment

The article reports that seven women have accused a candidate from Israel's leftist Hadash Party of sexual harassment, based on internal party documents. The allegations were reportedly uncovered during an investigation into the candidate's conduct. The incident has sparked internal debate within the party regarding accountability and ethical standards. While the article presents the accusations, it does not provide further details on the outcome of the investigation or any formal disciplinary actions taken against the candidate.

Bias read (Progressive): The article focuses on allegations against a leftist party member, which aligns with a left-leaning framing by highlighting misconduct within a progressive political entity. There is no indication of balanced reporting or significant right-leaning perspectives being included.

Why factuality (65): The article reports on internal party documents from the Hadash Party alleging sexual harassment by a candidate, based on accusations from 7 women. While the claim is presented as coming from internal sources, there is no independent verification or public documentation provided. The factuality scor

Why objectivity (45): The article uses emotionally charged language such as 'accused' and presents the allegations without providing context or counterpoints. It frames the issue as a serious internal party matter without balancing perspectives, leading to a biased and one-sided narrative.

How each side covered it

The same event, grouped by the political lean of the outlets covering it.

How each side covered it

Support independent, bias-aware news and unlock the social pulse, community voting, and every other Supporter feature.

Become a Supporter

Covered around the world

The same event as reported in other countries.

Covered around the world

Support independent, bias-aware news and unlock the social pulse, community voting, and every other Supporter feature.

Become a Supporter

Claims check

Key factual claims, and how many sources assert vs dispute each.

Claims check

Support independent, bias-aware news and unlock the social pulse, community voting, and every other Supporter feature.

Become a Supporter

Keep the news honest.

ObjectiveNews is reader-funded and ad-free — we show you the bias instead of hiding it. Support independent journalism for €4/month.

Become a Supporter

Related stories