Reminder: Report revealed before elections Likud's preparations to dispute results if it loses

As right-wing forces increasingly cast doubt on the integrity of voting in Arab towns, it is worth recalling that Haaretz revealed prior preparations within Likud to potentially dispute election results and claim fraud if they did not favor the party. Likud invested millions of shekels in recruiting paid teams tasked with standing outside polling stations in Arab towns and documenting proceedings.

Reminder: Report revealed before elections Likud's preparations to dispute results if it loses. As right-wing forces increasingly cast doubt on the integrity of voting in Arab towns, it is worth recalling that Haaretz revealed, in a report published on October 26, prior preparations within Likud to potentially dispute election results and claim fraud if they did not favor the party. According to the report, Likud invested millions of shekels in recruiting paid teams tasked with standing outside polling stations in Arab towns, documenting proceedings, and sending reports and video recordings to party headquarters. These teams do not operate as official observers inside polling stations, and their legal authority is limited. The tasks assigned to the teams include monitoring what they consider potential violations and collecting material that could later be used to challenge the integrity of voting in the Arab community. Haaretz quoted Likud sources saying the party established a broad information-gathering mechanism, with the possibility of publishing some recordings after the elections as evidence of fraud. However, the report does not indicate that evidence of actual fraud in the current elections has been presented, but rather discusses the party's preparations to collect material it might use in this context. Alongside field preparations, the newspaper reported that Likud officials discussed the scenario of losing the election, including launching a campaign claiming the election was "stolen and rigged," similar to the campaign launched by US President Donald Trump after his loss to Joe Biden. The newspaper quoted a source close to Netanyahu saying discussions took place on how to handle a potential loss, and that opinions supporting launching such a campaign were raised during them. According to the report, Netanyahu did not participate in those discussions, but sources close to him said several parties are pressuring him to adopt this path, and he is still considering it. Haaretz also recalled what happened during the 2022 elections, when Education Minister Yoav Kisch accused fraud in polling stations in the Arab community, before these claims disappeared after it became clear Likud was heading for victory. A party official, according to the newspaper, believes the 2022 elections served as an initial experiment for the current preparations, which combine intensified monitoring in Arab towns with readiness to potentially challenge results. This path raises concerns about using unsubstantiated claims to undermine confidence in election results, especially when focusing on the voting of Arab citizens and collecting recordings from around polling stations for later use in a political battle over the legitimacy of the results.