Police Reject Likud's Election Fraud Claims, Cite Lack of Evidence

Israel Police have officially refuted allegations of "election theft" made by the Likud party, stating that there is no investigative or intelligence support for these claims. In a formal announcement, the police reported that election day proceeded with few irregularities concerning election integrity, even when compared to previous elections. A police source further noted a nearly 40% decrease in election integrity-related incidents during the current election cycle compared to the last.

The Likud party had previously accused Arab citizens of Israel of stealing the election through serious criminal offenses including bribery, threats, violence, forgery, and the use of prohibited software to encourage voters. The party claimed to have provided hundreds of testimonies and evidence to the police, Shin Bet, and the Election Committee, detailing alleged fraud in numerous Arab polling stations. These included claims of thousands of envelopes containing cash and Ra'am party ballots, intimidation of poll workers, multiple voters behind curtains, double voting, discrepancies between ballot counts and voter numbers, and the use of prohibited stimulant software.

Regarding the arrest of activists from the Ra'am party, police stated that while an investigation is ongoing, there are no significant indications, and the case is expected to be closed. The police had previously announced the arrest of three suspects in the Negev on suspicion of election bribery the night before polls opened, with tens of thousands of shekels found in their homes allegedly intended for bribing voters for Ra'am. One suspect claimed the money was for donations to needy families from the Islamic Movement.

During election day, David Zini, head of the Shin Bet, declared the elections to be secure, proper, and impressively supervised, acknowledging challenges but affirming success in overcoming them under the leadership of Judge Solberg and the Israel Police.