Likud Accuses Arab Parties of Election Fraud, Demands Investigation

The Likud party, led by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, has accused Arab parties of "stealing the elections" through serious criminal offenses including bribery, threats, violence, and vote rigging. The party called on the police, the Shin Bet security agency, and the Central Elections Committee to investigate these allegations following Tuesday's elections, which saw increased Arab representation in preliminary results.

In a statement, Likud claimed that "elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state." The party asserted it has submitted "hundreds of testimonies and evidence" to the authorities regarding alleged fraud in numerous Arab polling stations. These claims include finding "thousands of envelopes containing cash and ballots for the United Arab List," as well as threats and violence against polling station committee members.

Further allegations from Likud mention multiple voters behind the voting booth simultaneously, voting with duplicate IDs, discrepancies between ballot envelopes and voter numbers, and the use of prohibited programs to mobilize voters. The statement did not provide details to independently verify these claims or specify the number of polling stations or votes affected.

Likud demanded a "comprehensive investigation into the theft of elections by Arab parties and bringing the offenders to justice." The party also urged the Central Elections Committee to "immediately address these accusations and investigate the alleged criminal offenses," stating they "severely damaged the integrity and results of the elections in Israel."

These accusations follow a pattern of incitement against Arab parties and voters that intensified during the election campaign and on election day, coinciding with high Arab voter turnout and increased representation for Arab slates in initial counts. Netanyahu had previously warned of high Arab voting during election day to mobilize right-wing voters. Following the preliminary results, he continued his rhetoric, alleging that the bloc opposing him sought to form a government with "enemies of Israel."

Bezalel Smotrich, Minister of Finance and head of the Religious Zionism party, also attacked celebrations by Arab parties over the preliminary results, vowing to prevent them from celebrating. This rhetoric against Arab voters and parties has continued even before final results are confirmed, shifting from warnings about turnout's impact on government formation to broad criminal accusations regarding election integrity.