Arab Israeli politicians accuse Netanyahu of hate incitement ahead of elections

Leaders of Arab-led parties in Israel have charged Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu with stoking hatred against Palestinian citizens to improve his electoral chances. Yousef Jabareen, head of the Joint List, said in a video posted on social media that the government can end Netanyahu's "bloody reign." Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, called the prime minister's comments a "scare tactic to mobilise right-wing voters and drive them to the polls."

Netanyahu posted on X, describing Arab voters as "Muslim Brotherhood supporters" and accusing them of "raiding the polling stations and stealing the elections." He also shared an image of a long queue at a polling station and urged right-wing Israelis to "go out and vote for Likud," framing the situation as a "matter of life and death for us."

The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights, Adalah, said it had received numerous reports of attempts to deter Arab voters, slow-moving or halted queues in Arab-majority towns, and a shortage of ballot slips printed in Arabic. The organization has alerted Israel's Central and Regional Elections Committees.

Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh praised Palestinian citizens in Israel, urging them to continue voting in large numbers despite intimidation.

"There are racists for whom these pictures are frightening, but for us, they encourage us and we’ll continue with all our might! I call on Arab citizens to continue coming out in droves, it’s in our hands!" – Sami Abu Shehadeh