Israeli Right Makes Provocative Statements as Election Votes are Counted
In the aftermath of Tuesday's election in Israel, senior figures on the right have made a series of provocative statements about Arab voters, alleged attempts to steal the election, and plans to establish Jewish settlements in Gaza. The remarks were made by Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who leads the right-wing Likud party, amidst exit polls suggesting Netanyahu's governing alliance had suffered a setback.
Smotrich, speaking at his party's election headquarters in Jerusalem, dismissed opposition celebrations and vowed to preserve the expansion of settlements in the occupied West Bank, which are considered illegal under international law. He claimed that Jewish settlements would be established in Gaza, despite Israel having dismantled its settlements there in 2005. Earlier on Tuesday, Smotrich warned on Facebook that voter turnout was unusually high in Arab communities and left-wing strongholds, without providing supporting figures.
Netanyahu also made similar appeals during voting, warning that Arab voters were rushing to polling stations and that an opposition victory would threaten Israel's Jewish character. He accused three senior figures from Ra'am, an Arab-majority party, of attempting to steal the election. However, police confirmed they arrested three people on suspicion of voter bribery, but there was no indication they held senior positions in Ra'am. Transportation Minister Miri Regev echoed the unsubstantiated election theft allegations in a post on X, saying "They're trying to steal the elections and the country from us, it's either the right or Palestine."
Arab political leaders have condemned Netanyahu's election-day messages as racist and inflammatory. Al Jazeera correspondent Nida Ibrahim reported from Ramallah in the occupied West Bank that Netanyahu's bloc of right-wing and religious parties was projected to win 56 seats, with about 55 percent of ballots counted, short of the 61 seats needed for a majority in Israel's 120-seat parliament.
