Israel's national serious crime unit, Lahav 433, has taken over an investigation into suspected election bribery in the Negev after police arrested three people and seized tens of thousands of shekels.
Investigators believe the money may have been intended for distribution to residents in return for voting for Ra'am in Tuesday's parliamentary election. The Arab Islamist party has challenged the police operation and lodged a complaint with the Central Elections Committee over what it describes as interference with its campaign.
Envelopes of Cash Found Alongside Ballot Slips
The three suspects come from the Segev Shalom and Ar'ara areas of the Negev. Southern District investigators arrested them overnight following information about a possible effort to pay for votes in Bedouin communities.
Police said searches of their homes uncovered envelopes containing cash, ballot slips for Ra'am and additional material suspected of being connected to the offenses under investigation.
The initial account placed the amount seized in the tens of thousands of shekels, without giving a precise total. Investigators suspect the envelopes had been assembled for distribution to voters.
The question at the center of the case is what the money was intended to purchase: police are investigating whether it was prepared as payment for electoral support.
Ra'am Takes Its Complaint to Election Officials
Ra'am's response focused on the conduct of the operation and its effect on the party's campaign.
"They have targeted us," the party said.
In its complaint to the Central Elections Committee, Ra'am alleged attempts to obstruct its election activity. The party also identified the people detained as its activists and said it believed someone had deliberately singled it out.
Those objections accompany an ongoing criminal investigation. The police account describes suspicions about planned payments, rather than a finding that votes were bought.
The Party Behind the Ballot Slips
Ra'am is the Hebrew abbreviation for the United Arab List, the party headed by Mansour Abbas. Its origins lie in the southern branch of Israel's Islamic Movement, and its religious background is associated with socially conservative positions.
The party became a significant participant in Israeli coalition politics in 2021. Following that year's election, it entered the governing alliance led by Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid, becoming the first independent Arab party to join a government coalition as a formal member.
At the subsequent parliamentary election in 2022, Ra'am secured five seats.
