Israeli Police Dismiss Allegations of Election Fraud by Arab Parties

Tel Aviv, October 29 (Daily Kiran) : Israeli police have firmly rejected allegations of election fraud made by the Likud party against Arab parties. The claims, which called for an investigation into the electoral process, were dismissed in a statement released on Thursday.

According to The Jerusalem Post, the police acknowledged some unusual incidents on election day related to electoral integrity but noted that these occurrences were significantly fewer than in previous elections. They emphasized that there is no investigative or intelligence evidence to support the claims of fraud.

On Wednesday, an official from the Central Election Committee (CEC) also dismissed the allegations of wrongdoing. As vote counting continues, Arab parties have reportedly secured 19 seats in the recent election, with record turnout from the Arab community.

By Thursday morning, the official vote count had reached 91%, excluding ballots with “double envelopes,” which were to be counted overnight. The CEC announced that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s faction is maintaining its lead, with an estimated 53 seats in the next Knesset, while the opposition is projected to gain 48 seats.

Earlier on Wednesday, Netanyahu claimed that Arab parties had “stolen” the election. In this highly competitive election, neither his political faction nor the main opposition party is expected to achieve a majority in the parliament.

The Likud party released a statement alleging serious irregularities in the election process and accused Arab parties of attempting to undermine Israel. They claimed, “The elections have been hijacked by Arab parties that support terrorism and seek to dismantle the Jewish state. They have engaged in serious criminal acts, including bribery, threats, violence, and fraud, and have used illegal software to mobilize voters.”

Tensions remain high as the final results are awaited.