Likud Claims Election Stolen Amid High Arab Voter Turnout

The Likud party has leveled unprecedented accusations, claiming the recent Israeli elections were "stolen" by Arab parties. This assertion comes amidst a record high turnout among Arab citizens, with preliminary results showing Arab parties achieving an unprecedented 19 mandates. Likud alleges that Arab parties, which it describes as supporting terrorism and aiming to dismantle the Jewish state, engaged in severe criminal offenses including bribery, threats, violence, fraud, and the use of prohibited software to incite voters.

In a statement, Likud asserted it has provided the police, Shin Bet, and the Central Elections Committee with hundreds of testimonies and evidence of election theft in numerous Arab polling stations. These alleged irregularities include thousands of envelopes containing cash and Ra'am party ballots, threats and violence against poll workers, multiple voters behind curtains, double voting, discrepancies between ballot counts and voter numbers, and the use of illegal voter stimulation software.

Likud is demanding a thorough investigation by the police and Shin Bet into the alleged election theft by Arab parties and full prosecution of those involved. They also called for an immediate response from the Elections Committee regarding these criminal offenses, which they claim have severely damaged the integrity and results of the Israeli elections and harmed Israeli democracy.

These claims stand in contrast to statements made by Shin Bet head David Zinai, who declared the elections "safe, proper, and supervised in an inspiring manner," acknowledging attempts to disrupt them but affirming their success under the leadership of Judge Solberg and the Israel Police. The Central Elections Committee confirmed it has opened an investigation into election integrity, as it does in every election, and is examining Likud's complaints as part of this process.

The article also notes a significant surge in voter turnout in Arab communities, with cities like Sakhnin reporting 86.8% turnout, a substantial increase from previous elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had previously campaigned against forming a government with Arab parties, calling it a "disgrace" and labeling them "anti-Zionist."