Netanyahu Accused of Inciting Against Arab Voters
A serious charge has been raised against Prime Minister Mr. Benjamin Netanyahu of inciting against Arab voters. It came as a record 44.9 percent of votes had been cast by 2 pm in Israel’s general election. Mr. Yousef Jabareen, leader of Israel’s largest Arab party, the “Joint List,” said Mr. Netanyahu keeps questioning the voting rights of Arab citizens and the legitimacy of their political influence.
In a sharp statement addressed to Mr. Netanyahu, Mr. Jabareen said, “Netanyahu, you keep inciting against Arab citizens and questioning our right to vote. But the Arab people of this country know how to send you and your blood stained government away today through the ballot.”
During the campaign, Mr. Netanyahu kept warning his supporters that Arab voters in the south were “rushing to the polling stations” and were “trying to steal the election.” His remarks are seen as a tactic to bring Likud Party supporters to the polling stations. Critics say it is a racist attempt to show the existence and participation of the country’s Arab citizens as a threat to the Jewish state.
The Joint List also said Mr. Netanyahu is spreading some images made with artificial intelligence (AI). These are claimed to show scenes from voting centers in the Sakhnin and Negev areas. The main aim of these fake images, it said, is to stir public opinion against Arab voters and discourage them from voting.
Mr. Jabareen rejected the truth of the Prime Minister’s claim. He said that in reality the voting rate is still higher in Jewish majority areas than in Arab areas. Even so, he urged Arab citizens to come to the polling stations in larger numbers in the time that remains.
Stating his resolve to defeat the followers of extremist, radical Zionist leaders, he said, “At the end of the day, we will use all our strength to send you and the Kahanists in your alliance back home.”
Meanwhile, there are reports of long lines at several Arab majority polling stations and of serious slowness in the voter identity check process. Arab leaders believe this is a planned plot to stop voters from casting their votes.
It is worth noting that millions of Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank have no right to vote in this election. However, about 20 percent of the population are Palestinian citizens of Israel. Although they face a discriminatory system, they are trying to present their political position strategically through the ballot.
