Three residents of Segev Shalom and Ar’ara BaNegev were arrested on suspicion of attempting to bribe citizens to vote for the Arab Ra'am party on the eve of Election Day, Israel Police announced on Tuesday.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu condemned the incident in a statement on Tuesday.
"Three suspects were arrested in possession of envelopes containing cash, along with ballots for Mansour Abbas," Netanyahu said, calling for a formal investigation into the incident.
"Right-wing voters, dear Likud voters, in the face of attempts to compromise the integrity of the elections, you must go out and vote "Mahal," vote Likud for the sake of our country!"
According to Israeli media reports, the three were detained for questioning by police four hours before the polls opened, not in the vicinity of nearby polling stations, nor near those arriving to vote.
"There was nothing improper about the activists' conduct," the Ra'am party stated in response. "These are attempts by [National Security Minister Itamar] Ben-Gvir’s police force to suppress voting within Arab society."
In his own Tuesday statement, Acting Director General of the Central Elections Committee Attorney Din Livne stated that the three were "caught in their vehicle, not in the vicinity of the polling stations."
"This is an isolated incident," Livne affirmed, noting that there "are no other such cases."
Police seize thousands of shekels during raid on suspects' homes
During searches of the suspects' homes, police seized envelopes containing tens of thousands of shekels in cash, along with notes and other items suspected to be connected to the offenses under investigation.
The three suspects were transferred to the Southern District’s Fraud Unit for questioning and are expected to be brought before a court today as police seek to extend their detention.