Extremist settlers sabotage Palestinian polling stations in 1948 territories as Netanyahu claims ‘Arab fraud”

October 28, 2026

Israeli settlers are deliberately sabotaging the votes of Palestinian citizens in the 1948 territories, Palestinian member of the Knesset and leader of the Taal party Ahmad Tibi said on 27 October as the election was underway.

נציגי המתנחלים בקלפיות ביישובים הערבים מעכבים את הליך ההצבעה ומאיטים אותו במזיד. אישה חולה התעלפה בהמתנה . אומר זאת כך: זה לא יעזור לכם. אנשים יישארו שם עד שיצביעו. pic.twitter.com/SIAwibMuUW

— Ahmad Tibi (@Ahmad_tibi) October 27, 2026

“Settlers at polling stations in Arab communities are deliberately obstructing and slowing down the voting process. A sick woman fainted while waiting. I’ll put it this way: It won’t help you. People will stay there until they cast their votes,” Tibi said on social media.

“As of 1:00 pm, voter turnout in Arab society is significantly lower than the national turnout rate,” Tibi said in a separate post.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has taken to social media urging his followers and those of his coalition to “wake up” and go vote, adding that massive lines are appearing in Palestinian communities and that Israeli voters must hit the polls or risk “getting a government of the Muslim Brotherhood,” referring to Palestinian parties.

Netanyahu’s Likud and Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism had previously threatened to send thousands of “activists” to Palestinian polling stations.

According to a Channel 12 report from 27 October, these so-called activists have been sent and are “monitoring” polling stations in the 1948 territories.

The premier also continues to push unfounded claims of voter fraud and vote-buying in Palestinian communities.

VIDEO | Netanyahu launched a campaign of incitement against Palestinians with Israeli citizenship during elections, urging Likud voters to declare a state of emergency over claims of attempted voter fraud and vote-buying in Palestinian communities in the 1948 territories. pic.twitter.com/ilzKZtrpnx

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 27, 2026

He pointed to the overnight detention of three Palestinian Bedouins in the Negev, who police accused of preparing cash envelopes and ballot slips to purchase votes for the Palestinian-Israeli Raam party led by Mansour Abbas.

The Raam party denied the accusation and said the arrests were carried out by “Ben Gvir’s police” in order to suppress turnout in Palestinian towns.

Likud is already putting together a series of complaints and allegations of fraud for voting stations in Palestinian communities.

Haaretz reported that Likud spent millions of shekels on teams to film Palestinian voters outside polling stations, footage that could later be circulated as “evidence.”

“Let’s say a woman comes to vote wearing a burqa. And then a few minutes later another woman comes wearing a burqa – maybe it’s the same one? We’ll have to check and verify it,” said a Likud source to Haaretz.

Surging turnout of Palestinians with Israeli citizenship alarms 'Israeli right' as election participation hits 57-year high
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As it stands, overall voter turnout in Israel's Knesset elections reached 44.9% by 2:00 PM, compared with 38.9% at the same point in the previous… pic.twitter.com/y82oHCPxLC

— The Cradle (@TheCradleMedia) October 27, 2026

“In terms of preventing fraud in the Arab sector, we have made our greatest and most comprehensive effort,” the source added.

Meanwhile, voter turnout across Israel hit a record 44.9 percent, the highest in decades.

Palestinians with Israeli citizenship are treated as second-class citizens. Crime runs rampant across neighborhoods in the 1948 territories as a result of neglect, and citizens are suppressed.

Palestinian citizens are regularly arrested and prosecuted by Tel Aviv over social media posts labeled by Israel as “terror incitement.”