Police Detain Three in Pre-Election Cash Case

Israeli general elections are scheduled to conclude shortly, with voting taking place across the country on Tuesday.

Police arrested three residents of Segev Shalom and Ar’ara BaNegev on suspicion of attempting to bribe voters for the Arab Ra'am party.

The arrests occurred on the eve of Election Day, according to an announcement released by the Israel Police on Tuesday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed the incident in a statement, describing the suspects as being in possession of envelopes containing cash and ballots for Mansour Abbas.

He called for a formal investigation and urged right-wing and Likud supporters to vote for their party to preserve electoral integrity.

Media reports indicated that police detained the three individuals four hours before polling stations opened.

The detainees were not located near voting sites or clusters of arriving voters, according to those reports.

The Ra'am party responded by stating that the activists' conduct was proper and characterized the arrests as an attempt by National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s police force to suppress voting within Arab society.

Officers searched the suspects' homes and seized envelopes holding tens of thousands of shekels in cash, along with notes and other items linked to the investigation.

The three suspects were transferred to the Southern District’s Fraud Unit for questioning.

They are expected to appear before a court on Tuesday as police seek to extend their detention.