Claims of Netanyahu's Vote Forgery in Likud Election Denied as Fake News

During a hearing on petitions challenging the results of the Likud Central Committee elections, allegations surfaced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's vote was falsified. The claim suggested Netanyahu was marked as having voted despite not participating, as he was reportedly en route to the United States for a meeting with President Donald Trump at the time of voting. A document from the Likud Central Election Committee showed Netanyahu as having voted, but petitioners questioned this due to his absence.

The Likud party strongly rejected these allegations, labeling them "fake news" and stating there is no ongoing investigation by the party's court into the matter. They confirmed that Netanyahu did vote using a special ballot box brought for security reasons, which had not been publicly disclosed until now. Netanyahu reportedly departed Israel around 12:57 PM, while polling stations opened at 11:00 AM.

The controversy gained additional attention because one of the key votes in the Likud Central Committee elections, which approved a constitutional amendment proposed by Netanyahu and Haim Katz, passed by a narrow margin of two votes. Initially, the official record showed a five-vote difference. The petitions against the election results are still being examined by the Likud party court.