Three residents of Bedouin communities in the Negev were arrested overnight Monday into Tuesday on suspicion of planning to buy votes for the Ra'am party in the upcoming Knesset election. Police say the suspects intended to distribute cash payments to citizens in exchange for their votes.
The arrests were carried out by the Central Unit of the Southern District during a targeted operation. Officers raided the suspects' homes in the Segev Shalom cluster and the town of Ar'ara in the Negev, conducting extensive searches. The raids turned up envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels in cash, along with notes and other materials believed to be connected to the alleged offences.
The three suspects were transferred for questioning by the Southern District's fraud unit. They are expected to be brought before a court today, where police will request an extension of their detention to continue the investigation.
Police said the operation was part of Israel Police's preparations for the 26th Knesset election, in line with the policy set by Police Commissioner Superintendent Danny Levy to protect the integrity of the electoral process and ensure a proper democratic procedure.
A police spokesperson said: "Israel Police will act with determination, in a stately manner, equally and without bias, against any attempt to harm the integrity of the election, to influence voters' will by illegal means, or to disrupt the democratic process, with the aim of ensuring that every citizen can vote and exercise their right to vote freely and in accordance with the law." The investigation is ongoing.
