Israel has officially certified its election results – delivering a blow to right-wing claims of a stolen vote – but the record 19 seats captured by Palestinian-led parties have triggered aggressive police raids, arbitrary arrests, and targeted interrogations by state security apparatuses. The electoral gains made by the parties representing Palestinian citizens of Israel – the Joint List and the United Arab List (Ra’am) – could give the Zionist opposition to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu the upper hand in forming the next government, if they choose to work with the Arab parties. Meanwhile, Netanyahu and his allies have portrayed the increased vote share for the Palestinian-led parties as the result of illegality, a+nd say they represent Jewish Israelis.
Political analyst Mamoun Abu Amer told Al Jazeera that the political backlash was preplanned. He noted that the heavy turnout deeply shocked the Israeli political establishment, prompting Netanyahu to launch a smear campaign to discredit the democratic process. Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Ta’al Party – which is part of the Joint List – shared a similar analysis.
As reported by The Jerusalem Post, police arrested several Ra’am supporters for alleged vote-buying, which Likud immediately invoked to claim an attempt to steal the election. However, many of the suspects were quickly released, with a judge noting that suspicions had weakened and that investigators had failed to explain why restrictions were necessary. Defence lawyers maintained the seized funds were intended for charitable assistance.
Abd Abu Shahadeh, a journalist and political activist, was arrested on Tuesday night by the Israeli police and the domestic security service, the Shin Bet. Sami Abu Shehadeh, the chairman of the Balad Party, another member of the Joint List, called it an attempt by Netanyahu to “steal the elections”. Human rights and Israeli affairs expert Mustafa Ibrahim argued that Netanyahu’s approach is deeply rooted in discriminatory state policy.
Ibrahim pointed to the treatment of Palestinians in Israel since the formation of the state in 1948 – when hundreds of thousands of Palestinians were forced out of their homes in the Nakba – including the period of military rule that was imposed on them until 1966. Palestinian citizens of Israel have always been viewed as a “fifth column”, Ibrahim said, “and they are described as enemies of the state.” Tibi emphasised that the suppression of Palestinian rights in Israel was part of a broader ongoing pattern. He added that the decision in late September by the Israeli electoral committee to disqualify the Palestinian-led parties from the elections – later overturned by the Israeli Supreme Court – was part of that campaign.
The political pressure from Netanyahu and his allies has engulfed Israeli state institutions. According to The Jerusalem Post, Shin Bet Director David Zini requested to interrogate senior Palestinian lawmakers, including Tibi and United Arab List leader Mansour Abbas, over foreign interference claims. Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara explicitly denied the request, leading to attacks from Netanyahu’s Likud party.
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