Police detain three Negev men with cash and ballots hours before polls open
Suspects were arrested in Segev Shalom and Ar'ara BaNegev on Election Day, prompting calls for a formal investigation into alleged bribery for the Ra'am party.
By Layla Richardson ·
Voters in two Negev towns faced a disruption on the morning of Election Day when police detained three local residents. The arrests occurred four hours before polling stations opened, with officers finding envelopes of cash and pre-filled ballots in the suspects' possession.
Police identified the seized ballots as marked for Mansour Abbas, leader of the Ra'am party. The suspects, who are residents of Segev Shalom and Ar'ara BaNegev, were taken to the Southern District’s Fraud Unit. Investigators are seeking a court order to extend their detention for further questioning.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reacted quickly to the news, calling for a formal investigation into the incident. In a public statement, he urged supporters of his Likud party to vote in protest against what he described as an attempt to compromise the election's integrity. He specifically called on right-wing voters to head to the polls.
The Ra'am party challenged the police narrative, stating that the activists' conduct was proper. A party spokesperson accused the police force, led by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, of attempting to suppress voting within Arab society. The party maintained that the arrests were a political move rather than a standard criminal procedure.
During home searches, officers seized tens of thousands of shekels in cash along with notes and other items linked to the suspected offenses. The timing of the arrests, just before the polls opened, placed immediate pressure on the suspects' legal status and the local voting process.
