Three residents of the Bedouin diaspora arrested for election bribery; Ra'am files complaint with CEC

Three residents of the Segev Shalom and Ar’ara area in the Negev were arrested overnight (between Monday and Tuesday) by Southern District Police detectives on suspicion of election bribery.

During a search conducted in their homes, tens of thousands of shekels in cash, distributed envelopes, and notes were seized. According to the suspicion, they planned to distribute money to citizens in order for them to vote for Ra'am.

They will be brought in Tuesday afternoon for a hearing on extending their detention. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu referred to the incident and said: "I demand that the law enforcement authorities investigate the event."

Due to the incident, Ra'am filed a complaint with the Election Committee, claiming that the party had been targeted. In Ra'am's statement, it said, "The police arrested key activists in the Negev early this morning without any justified reason. At the same time, reports were received about a shortage of Ra'am ballots in Arabic (ع م) in many communities, including Nazareth and Shefa-Amr, and about torn ballots that were found."

It was also written that Ra'am calls on voters to be vigilant and to demand valid ballots. This is an attempt by the right to harm Ra'am's ability to reach 8 seats and to prevent the formation of a government of change.