The National Disciplinary Court of the Israel Bar Association recently decided to reduce the punishment imposed on attorney Asala Abu Khdeir, a resident of Shuafat in East Jerusalem, who published a jubilant post on October 7, 2023, the day of the massacre in Israeli communities near the Gaza border, which was described as inciting, supporting the massacre and denying its severity.
Among other things, Abu Khdeir, who holds an Israeli license to practice law and an Israeli identity card, wrote on social media on the day of the massacre: “I feel as though I am dreaming, and protect Abu Mazen,” adding a row of heart emojis. The Jerusalem District Police arrested Abu Khdeir and opened an investigation against her.
Why Did the Israel Bar Association Initially Revoke Asala Abu Khdeir’s License?
At the same time, the Jerusalem District Police referred the matter to the Israel Bar Association so that it could consider revoking her license. In the first instance, Abu Khdeir’s case was heard by the Jerusalem District Disciplinary Court of the Israel Bar Association, which convicted her on January 27, 2026, of conduct unbecoming the legal profession and acts that harmed the dignity of the profession.
The district disciplinary court revoked Abu Khdeir’s license and permanently expelled her from the bar. The ruling stated that her remarks had seriously harmed the public and the dignity of the profession, and that she had expressed no remorse and continued to deny the atrocities throughout the proceedings. The court rejected her claim that the joy expressed in her October 7, 2023 post stemmed from a private marriage proposal she had received from her fiancé that day, and that she had allegedly been unaware of the terrorist attack because of an intense workload. The district court said her account was “completely disconnected from the direct content” and that there was no connection between expressions of romance and a post containing the Palestinian Authority flag, the name “Abu Mazen” and the timing of its publication.
Why Did the National Disciplinary Court Reduce the East Jerusalem Lawyer’s Punishment?
Abu Khdeir appealed both the conviction and the punishment to the National Disciplinary Court. In her appeal, she repeated her claim that the October 7, 2023 post concerned a personal marriage proposal and had no connection to the atrocities or identification with terrorist organizations. She argued that her remarks did not reflect “serial criminality” and that the punishment imposed on her disproportionately harmed her livelihood and professional future.
In its decision dated June 10, 2026, the National Disciplinary Court unanimously rejected the appeal against the conviction itself. However, the majority decided to reduce her punishment, replacing permanent disbarment with a two-year suspension from the Israel Bar Association and an additional three-year suspended penalty. The minority opinion also favored a lighter punishment, but proposed a seven-year suspension.
The punishment was reduced even though the head of the panel, attorney Shlomi Bashi, wrote: “I did not find a single mitigating consideration in favor of the appellant, because I do not believe her… and I express disgust at her conduct toward the lower court and this court, which borders on nothing less than outright contempt, as the appellant continues to adhere to her version.”
The head of the panel added: “I intend to intervene in the punishment, but certainly not because of mitigating considerations in favor of the appellant, who took no responsibility and expressed no remorse, but because of considerations of ‘checks and balances’ between the purpose of disciplinary punishment, public confidence and the protection of the dignity of the profession.”
Shai Glick, CEO of the B’Tsalmo organization, which filed a complaint against Abu Khdeir, said in response to the decision: “The Israel Bar Association’s disciplinary court has ruled that supporting the events of October 7 is not so serious; denying the atrocities is not so serious. These are judges sitting in an ivory tower, disconnected from reality. It is time for the Israel Bar Association to wake up and stop supporting lawyers who support terrorism!”
