Terrorist's aide drops out of Sakhnin municipal race

Controversy's end: Tagrid Saadi, whose bid for the Sakhnin City Council was challenged by the Movement for Quality Government in Israel (MQG), announced Sunday that she will be dropping out of the municipal race.

Earlier, the High Court heard MQG's motion to have Saadi, who ran as part of the Hadash list, struck from the party's city roster, on grounds of previous terror affiliation.

Saadi, an Israeli Arab, was convicted of aiding an enemy agent and conspiring with terror elements, in connection with the 2002 terror attack on Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market, which claimed the lives of sic Israelis.

Saadi served six years in prison and was release in early 2008.

The Movement for Quality Government demanded she be removed for the Hadash list, further asking the court to order the Sakhnin Municipality to postpone the elections, scheduled for November 11.

The State Prosecutor's Office, which was called to submit a brief in the case, told the court that Saadi filed a false declaration to the Municipal Elections Committee, stating she was eligible to take part in the race for city council.

The false affidavit was discovered at a date too close to the elections, which prevented the Municipal Elections Committee from ordering Hadash to change its list.

The State said it saw to postpone the elections in Sakhnin, suggesting the court orders Saadi's bid be null and void, thus preventing her from serving on the city council even if elected.

Attorney Gilad Sherman, for the State, told the court that "postponing the Sakhnin elections would do more harm then the possible election of a woman whose candidacy would be made irrelevant."

Saadi initially filed a motion to quash MQG's petition, claiming that once she was approved as a candidate her bid could not be contested, but eventually decided to concede.