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Israeli rivals accuse each other of election dirty tricks as votes are cast

Benjamin Netanyahu casts his ballot next to his wife Sara at a polling station in Jerusalem - Pool via Reuters/Yonatan Sindel Israel attracted a record turnout for Tuesdays crucial election, as Benjamin Netanyahu and Gadi Eisenkot accused each other of dirty tricks. At 4pm in Israel (2pm UK time), voter turnout stood at 55.7 per cent, according to the countrys central elections committee 8 per cent higher than at the same time of day during the 2022 election. It was the highest turnout at that hour since hourly numbers were first recorded in 1973, with more than four million people having voted. We have surpassed all the records kept by the central elections committee. There hasnt been such a nationwide voter turnout since 1973, said Dean Livne, the acting director-general of the committee. As voters went to the polls, Mr Netanyahu accused Arab parties of trying to steal the election after reports that people with envelopes of cash were allegedly trying to bribe voters. The Israeli prime minister claimed that three senior officials from the Raam party had been arrested with envelopes full of money in the South. However, Israeli police confirmed that while three local residents had been detained in the Negev on suspicion of distributing cash in Raam envelopes, they had not identified them as party officials, adding there was no evidence linking the partys leadership to the alleged scheme. Raam has dismissed claims of systemic malpractice, calling the arrests an unlinked local matter. In a press conference on Tuesday morning, Mr Livne said the incident was an unusual localised case. He added: Police, even before people arrived at the polling stations, caught individuals who tried to bribe voters. The unidentified suspects were not at polling stations and were caught near their homes, he confirmed. The election campaign by Mr Netanyahu and the Likud Party has included warnings of the dangers of Arab-Israeli parties, and has stoked fears of a Palestinian state to mobilise his base. We cannot leave this battle here in the hands of the Left and the Arab parties that want to bring an end to the Jewish state, he said on Tuesday. So no barbecues, dont go to the beach go to the polling station and vote Likud. On Tuesday afternoon, Likud asked the central elections committee to extend voting beyond the 10pm deadline as it sought to mobilise voters. Yashar, the party of Mr Eisenkot, the main challenger to Mr Netanyahu , claimed the premier was preparing to challenge the results of Tuesdays election by claiming it was being stolen. Netanyahu is in a panic, and hes laying the groundwork to challenge the results, the party said. We have to be ahead of Likud by a huge margin only then will there be no room to sow doubt about the results. Mr Eisenkot urged voters to oust the worst government in Israels history on Tuesday. Gadi Eisenkot urged voters to oust the worst government since the state was established - Getty Images/Amir Levy I call on all citizens of Israel to go vote, not to buckle under the heat or the disruptions, to stick to the mission to replace tonight the worst government since the state was established, he said. He also complained that ballot papers were being defaced and stolen at polling places. Mansour Abbas, the leader of the Arab List party, accused Mr Netanyahu of incitement through his allegations of fraud. Benjamin Netanyahu is lying and inciting against the United Arab List, using it as a scare tactic to mobilise Right-wing voters and drive them to the polls, he said. The Times of Israel quoted the central elections committee as saying: Contrary to claims circulating online, there are currently no indications of systematic tampering with ballot slips. It added that the reports were being addressed. Mr Netanyahu called on Israelis to vote the right way on Tuesday as he cast his ballot in Jerusalem just after midday. The high turnout has set off alarms for the prime minister, who alleged that it was driven by Left-wing and Arab areas and posted images making an emergency call to Right-wing voters. It has been a fractious election, with accusations of voter intimidation from the start. There were reports that nearly 2,000 activists from Right-wing parties were sent to polling stations in Arab communities on election day. According to a statement by the two parties, Likud and Religious Zionism, the activists were sent to prevent fraud by voters and vote counters. However, they had no official function or ability to perform oversight, and many believed they were there to intimidate local voters into staying away. After the polls opened on Tuesday morning, long queues and slow identification-checking were reported in some Arab communities. At a polling booth in Kafr Qara, only one person had voted in the first three hours of the polls being open, the Adalah Arab legal aid group said. Yaela Raanan, a member of a team promoting election integrity in the Bedouin community, told Haaretz: There is a feeling it is on purpose, because this is happening in many locations. Israelis are voting for the first time since Hamass Oct 7, 2023 attacks , with a deeply divided electorate delivering its verdict on Mr Netanyahu, the veteran leader. More than seven million people are eligible to vote, and tens of thousands have reportedly arrived from overseas . Polls opened at 7am and close at 10pm, local time, with broadcast exit polls shortly afterwards. A bride and groom cast their vote in a polling station before their wedding in Herzliya - Reuters/Itay Cohen Despite being a relatively small party, Raam could play a decisive role in forming an opposition-led coalition if election results are as close as expected. With roots in political Islam, Raam became the first Arab party to join an Israeli government in the 2021-2022 coalition and could again play a kingmaker role this year. Mansour Abbas, the party leader, advocates for equal rights for Israels Arab minority, who make up about 20 per cent of the population. Since Israel votes via proportional representation, a decisive winner is highly unlikely and a clear picture of the Israeli government coalition makeup could take weeks to form. This article originally appeared on The Telegraph at https://uk.news.yahoo.com/israeli-rivals-accuse-other-election-154653685.html

27 Oct 2026 9:16 pm