Likud alleges widespread election fraud at Arab polling stations

Netanyahu and Likud repeatedly campaigned against the possibility of a government dependent on Arab political support.

By Vered Weiss, World Israel News

The Likud accused Arab parties of stealing Israel’s elections through criminal activity at polling stations, saying it was submitting hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence to police, the Shin Bet and the Central Elections Committee.

The party alleged that irregularities at numerous Arab polling stations included bribery, threats, violence, forgery and identity fraud, as well as the use of prohibited software to mobilize voters.

Likud said its evidence included “thousands of envelopes containing cash alongside Ra’am party ballots,” along with cases in which multiple voters allegedly entered voting booths together and discrepancies were found between the number of envelopes and registered voters.

“We demand that the police and the Shin Bet conduct a thorough investigation into the theft of the election by these Arab parties and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice,” the party said.

Likud also called on the Central Elections Committee to immediately investigate the alleged offenses, which it said had “severely compromised the integrity of Israel’s elections and their outcome.”

“This constitutes a grave assault on Israeli democracy and the voting rights of Israeli citizens,” the statement said. “Law enforcement authorities must take immediate and decisive action.”

The Elections Committee responded: “We received Likud’s complaint. It is currently being reviewed.”

Ra’am and the Joint List, the Arab-led parties represented in the Knesset, saw unprecedented support in Tuesday’s election and were projected to secure 19 seats, nearly double the 10 they currently hold between them.

The result would leave neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor the Jewish-led parties seeking to replace him with enough seats to command a parliamentary majority on their own.

Netanyahu’s principal challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, could potentially reach a governing majority with backing from the Arab parties, although some parties in the opposition camp have ruled out such an arrangement.

Netanyahu and the Likud repeatedly campaigned against the creation of a government dependent on Arab political support.