Israel Police rejects Netanyahu's Likud's claim of vote-stealing by Arab parties

Israel Police has rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu-led Likud party's claims that the October 27 general election had been "stolen" by Arab parties. The police force said there was no investigative or intelligence evidence to support the allegations.

"Election day passed with a small number of unusual incidents concerning electoral integrity, even compared with previous elections. It should be emphasized that there is no investigative or intelligence evidence to support the claims," it said in a statement, cited by The Jerusalem Post, on Thursday, October 29.

"The elections in Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terror and the elimination of the Jewish state through serious criminal offenses of bribery, threats, violence, forgeries and the use of illegal software to mobilize voters," the party said on Wednesday, October 28.

Prior to that, Netanyahu, in a video addressed to Likud supporters on voting day, had warned that Arab voters in southern Israel were "racing to the ballots" and claimed that "they are trying to steal the election from us," referring to reports that three Ra'am party operatives had been arrested on suspicion of bribing voters.

"You must go out and vote," he urged, stressing, "You also must race to the ballot."

The Likud party leader, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, faced his first parliamentary election on Tuesday since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and the ensuing Gaza war, with the contest for the 120-member Knesset closely fought.

Netanyahu issued several election day messages on social media, warning of high turnout among Arab and left-wing voters and urging supporters of the right to head to polling stations.- Ends(With inputs from agencies)