Likud Prepares Dossier to Challenge Arab Vote Results

The Likud party is reportedly preparing a dossier of materials concerning the Arab community's vote in upcoming Knesset elections. This effort is intended to be used in a pre-planned campaign to challenge the election results should the bloc led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu lose. Discussions within the party have also touched upon launching a campaign alleging the elections were "stolen and rigged."

Over recent weeks, Likud has allegedly established paid teams to monitor and document activities outside polling stations in Arab communities, reporting findings back to party headquarters. This unofficial system operates separately from official party representatives inside polling stations and is not subject to the strict regulations imposed by the Central Elections Committee. The cost of this Likud initiative is estimated to be in the millions of shekels, with teams assigned to each polling station to gather testimonies and document events outside.

A party source stated that Likud's field presence has reached an unprecedented level, aiming to cover all polling stations in Arab communities. An example cited involved documenting two women in niqabs arriving at a polling station minutes apart, raising suspicions they might be the same person. However, these teams lack the legal authority to verify voters' identities.

This activity has raised concerns that monitoring Arab voters, under the guise of preventing fraud, could intimidate them and discourage participation by creating an atmosphere of fear and pressure at polling stations. Such practices could impact voting freedom and potentially be used later to question the legitimacy of Arab votes and election outcomes. Party sources indicated that this documented material might be published later, claiming to prove fraud, exploiting the fact that filming outside polling stations makes legal challenges to publication difficult.

Reports from Likud observers across the country will also be sent to a "fraud operations room" established for this purpose. A source close to Netanyahu mentioned that internal party discussions have considered a loss scenario, with explicit calls for a "the elections were stolen and rigged" campaign, similar to Donald Trump's challenge to Joe Biden's election. While Netanyahu has not participated in these discussions, sources close to him say officials are pressuring him to adopt this strategy, and he is considering it. A senior Likud official involved in managing election day described the 2022 elections as a test for current preparations.

The report recalled recent footage of Minister Yoav Kisch on Channel 14, where he alleged "dozens of cases of fraud" in Arab polling stations after initial results suggested the National Democratic Assembly party was close to the electoral threshold. He demanded intervention from the elections committee and police. These claims disappeared after Likud's victory became clear. In the past, Likud and the Religious Zionism party announced plans to deploy approximately 2,000 observers in Arab polling stations, citing fraud prevention. However, the Central Elections Committee has previously refuted similar allegations made by Likud in 2022, stating they lacked any basis.