Likud to Film Arab Voters Outside Polling Stations, Citing Potential Fraud Claims

Likud, led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, intends to send teams to record Arab voters outside polling stations on Tuesday, with the aim of using the video to substantiate claims of electoral fraud should the party incur significant defeats, according to Haaretz.

Haaretz reported that Likud has allocated millions of shekels to hire and compensate personnel tasked with monitoring polling stations in Arab neighborhoods, documenting voter activity, and transmitting updates in real time to the party’s central headquarters.

These teams, created in recent weeks, will be stationed outside polling stations rather than inside, thereby circumventing the stringent regulations that apply to official election observers.

Senior Likud officials have also deliberated a campaign that would allege election rigging should the party experience substantial losses, the report said.

Sources familiar with Netanyahu indicate that certain party members have urged the prime minister to adopt this approach, and he is presently evaluating the proposal.

Nevertheless, there is no evidence that Netanyahu himself participated in the meetings where the plan was discussed.

The proposed campaign mirrors former U.S. President Donald Trump’s claims of widespread electoral fraud after his 2020 presidential defeat.

A senior Likud election official described the party’s allegations of voting irregularities in the 2022 election as a preparatory effort for the current vote.

The official stated, “2022 served as a trial run for the upcoming election.”

Likud sources noted that footage captured outside polling stations may be circulated as alleged proof of fraud, even though the teams lack legal authority to verify voters’ identities.

In parallel, party observers throughout Israel are expected to report any irregularities to a dedicated election‑fraud monitoring center.

These allegations arise as Israelis cast ballots in the nation’s first general election since the October 2023 launch of its military operation in Gaza.

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