Israeli Journalist Slams Election Day Arrests as 'Far More Serious'
Translated & summarized from Ice by baba
Israeli journalist Raviv Drucker described election day arrests, allegedly based on information from the Likud party, as "a thousand times more serious" than Qatar bribery allegations. He questioned the police's conduct, including raids without warrants and premature press releases, and suggested the Police Commissioner should resign. Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly used the arrests in his election campaign. The affair has raised concerns about potential political manipulation of law enforcement.
The story in 6 lines · by baba
- Journalist Raviv Drucker called election day arrests "a thousand times more serious" than Qatar bribery allegations.
- Drucker suggested the Likud party provided police with information leading to the arrests.
- He questioned police conduct, including raids without warrants and premature press releases.
- Prime Minister Netanyahu reportedly used the arrests in his election campaign.
- Concerns were raised about potential political manipulation of the police.
- The Police Investigations Department was urged to investigate the police's conduct.
News 13 journalist Raviv Drucker has sharply criticized the handling of arrests made on election day, calling the affair "a thousand times more serious" than recent bribery allegations involving Qatar. Drucker suggested on his X account that the Police Commissioner should resign over the matter.
Drucker's criticism, amplified by a clip from News 13, focused on reports that the Likud party provided the police with information leading to the arrests. He argued that if true, this constitutes one of the most severe incidents he has encountered, urging the Police Investigations Department (Mahash) to investigate the police's conduct immediately. Drucker detailed how, according to his reporting, police received intelligence from Likud and raided suspects' homes at 6 AM without search warrants. During these searches, envelopes containing money labeled "Islamic Movement" were allegedly found. Drucker asserted that police failed to distinguish between the Islamic Movement and Ra'am, and that press releases were issued before suspects were even interrogated.
He also addressed the Likud campaign on election day, which he claims leveraged these arrests. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu reportedly sent voice messages to millions of phones, alleging the elections were being stolen, based on the arrests. Drucker noted that the suspects were brought before a judge, who ordered one released and allowed the others to be released pending completion of investigative actions.
Drucker highlighted that the money found, consisting of 1,000 shekel envelopes marked "Islamic Movement," was presented as the sole evidence of election bribery. The lawyer for one suspect argued the police misunderstood the difference between the Islamic Movement and Ra'am, and that the money was intended for the needy.
Journalist Ben Caspit echoed these concerns, referencing a report by News 13's Josh Breiner suggesting the police might have been politically manipulated by Netanyahu. Caspit stated that if these allegations are true, it is "horrifying," describing the situation as a dictatorship rather than a banana republic, where the Prime Minister's office, allegedly influenced by Qatar, uses the police for its own ends.
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