Israeli police find no evidence for Likud’s claim that Arab parties ‘stole’ election

Israeli police have dismissed allegations by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party that Arab parties “stole” the country’s election, saying there was no evidence to support the claims, according to The Times of Israel.

A police source said election day passed with very few incidents affecting the integrity of the vote, even compared with previous elections. The source added that there was no investigative or intelligence-based evidence substantiating Likud’s allegations.

Likud demands investigation into alleged election fraud

Likud claimed on Wednesday that Arab parties had stolen the election through alleged bribery, threats, violence, forgery and the use of prohibited software to mobilise voters. The party demanded an investigation by the police and Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, and said it had submitted hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence to the authorities.

The allegations emerged after Arab-led parties Ra’am and the Joint List recorded a historic performance in Tuesday’s election, with projections indicating that they could secure a combined 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset.

Election committee also reports no evidence of widespread tampering

The Central Elections Committee has confirmed that it received Likud’s complaint and is reviewing it as part of its routine process for examining election-related allegations submitted by political parties.

A committee official had also dismissed claims of widespread fraud, while the panel said it had found no indications of systematic ballot tampering. Individual complaints are being examined, the reports said.

With vote counting still under way, the election results remained provisional. The allegations against Arab parties have not been substantiated by the police.