Netanyahu to Hold Election Integrity Meeting Without Election Committee

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is convening a meeting on election integrity with Police Commissioner Dani Levi and Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, two days before the elections, notably excluding representatives from the Central Elections Committee. The "Yash!" party has demanded the meeting be canceled, arguing that Netanyahu, as a candidate himself, is not authorized to oversee election management or integrity. They also expressed concern that the meeting could create a false impression of compromised election fairness and undermine public trust in the results, potentially leading to political pressure on law enforcement.

The Central Elections Committee clarified that while the Prime Minister is permitted to meet with the Police Commissioner for updates on police preparations for the elections, he is not required to invite a committee representative. However, the committee emphasized that the Police Commissioner is bound by the Central Elections Committee's directives regarding the police's role in the election process. Netanyahu can receive information but cannot influence or instruct the police on their duties to ensure election integrity. The committee is the independent state body responsible for managing and ensuring the fairness of elections.

The core of the dispute lies in the involvement of political figures who are themselves candidates in the election. This situation follows a previous disagreement last week when Minister Ben-Gvir requested a meeting with police officials about election preparations, but Commissioner Levi reportedly avoided it. The purpose of Netanyahu's current meeting remains unclear, with speculation it could range from operational updates on securing polling stations to addressing concerns about election integrity.

Meanwhile, a separate legal battle is unfolding in the High Court of Justice (Bagatz) concerning police powers on election day. The Joint List and the Adalah Center have petitioned to prohibit armed individuals, including party representatives, from carrying weapons at polling stations. This petition follows a police directive allowing licensed individuals to carry personal weapons at polling stations and announcements by the Likud and Religious Zionism parties to deploy approximately 2,000 observers in Arab-populated areas, many of whom are yeshiva students from the Religious Zionism party. The petitioners argue that armed observers could intimidate voters and lead to confrontations, while the parties claim the observers are a measure against fraud.