No evidence: Israel Police rejects Netanyahu claims of Arab parties stealing polls

Israel Police has rejected Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's claims that the October 27 general election had been "stolen." The police force said there was no investigative or intelligence evidence to support the allegations."Election day passed with a small number of unusual incidents concerning electoral integrity, even compared with previous elections. It should be emphasized that there is no investigative or intelligence evidence to support the claims," it said in a statement, cited by The Jerusalem Post, on Thursday, October 29.In a video addressed to Likud voters on voting day, Netanyahu warned that Arab voters in southern Israel were "racing to the ballots" and claimed that "they are trying to steal the election from us," referring to three Ra'am party operatives reportedly arrested on suspicion of bribing voters."You must go out and vote," he urged, stressing, "You also must race to the ballot." The Likud party leader, Israel's longest-serving prime minister, faced his first parliamentary election on Tuesday since the October 7, 2023 Hamas-led attack and the ensuing Gaza war, with the contest for the 120-member Knesset closely fought.Netanyahu issued several election day messages on social media, warning of high turnout among Arab and left-wing voters and urging supporters of the right to head to polling stations. - Ends(With inputs from agencies)