Netanyahu’s party claims “serious criminal offenses” marred Israeli election

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has accused Arab political parties of stealing Israel’s parliamentary election through alleged bribery, intimidation and ballot fraud, The Hill reported on Wednesday. Likud demanded an immediate investigation by police and the Shin Bet.

In a statement, Likud alleged that “the elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the destruction of the Jewish state.” “We demand that the police and Shin Bet conduct a thorough investigation into the theft of the elections by the Arab parties and bring the perpetrators to justice,” the statement added.

Ynetnews reported that arrests show police are investigating suspected election bribery but do not establish Likud’s wider fraud allegations. With 85% of votes counted, Likud had 20.8% and Eisenkot’s Yashar party had 16.1%, while Arab-led parties had 14.9%, Gulf News reported. Local media projected 53 seats for Likud and allied parties, 48 for Yashar and allied parties and 19 for Arab-led parties.