Israel Police Arrest Three in Bribery Probe
Officers detained suspects in Segev Shalom and Ar'ara BaNegev with cash and ballots hours before polls opened.
By Kevin Brooks ·
Israeli police arrested three men on Tuesday on suspicion of attempting to bribe voters for the Arab Ra'am party just before the national elections began.
The suspects, residents of Segev Shalom and Ar'ara BaNegev, were detained four hours before polling stations opened. Police stated they were not holding the men near active voting sites or near arriving voters. During searches of their homes, officers seized envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels in cash, along with notes and other items linked to the alleged offenses.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the incident in a public statement. He described the suspects as being in possession of cash envelopes and ballots for Mansour Abbas. Netanyahu called for a formal investigation and urged Likud supporters to vote to protect the country's democratic process.
The Ra'am party disputed the police narrative. In a response, the party claimed the activists' conduct was proper and accused the police force under National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of attempting to suppress voting within the Arab community.
The three men were transferred to the Southern District’s Fraud Unit for further questioning. Police plan to bring them before a court on Tuesday to seek an extension of their detention.
Source: The Jerusalem Post
