Arab Leaders Accuse Netanyahu of Incitement and Using AI Images to Target Voters
Palestinian citizens voting in Israel’s parliamentary elections faced accusations of “raiding the polling stations and stealing the elections” from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on October 27, 2026, as Arab political leaders condemned the premier’s social media posts as incitement designed to mobilize right-wing turnout.
Netanyahu Uses X to Target Arab Voters
Netanyahu published a series of posts on X describing Arab voters as “Muslim Brotherhood supporters” and accusing them of attempting to steal the vote. The prime minister shared a picture showing a large queue of Palestinian citizens at a polling station and urged right-wing Israelis to vote for his Likud party, calling the election a matter of life and death. The Times of Israel reported that Netanyahu also circulated images that the Arab-majority Joint List party identified as AI-generated and intended to incite against Arab voters. Netanyahu specifically pointed to a photograph of people outside a polling station in Rahat, warning that right-wing strongholds appeared slow to mobilize.
Accusations of Incitement and Voter Suppression
Prominent Arab politicians rejected the prime minister’s rhetoric while reporting deliberate obstacles at polling places. Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List, said in a video statement that Netanyahu knew Palestinian citizens could put an end to his “bloody reign”, accusing the premier of questioning their legitimacy to vote and influence the political map. Mansour Abbas, leader of the United Arab List, denounced the comments as scare tactics aimed at driving right-wing voters to the polls. Meanwhile, the legal center for Arab minority rights, Adalah, reported receiving numerous complaints from voters regarding slow-moving queues, stopped voting lines in Arab-majority towns, and a lack of ballot slips printed in Arabic. Adalah stated it had formally notified Israel’s Central Elections Committee and Regional Elections Committees about the disruptions.
Arab Turnout Lags Behind Jewish Communities
Arab lawmaker Ahmad Tibi said that while turnout in Arab towns was higher than in the past, a significant gap remained compared with participation levels in Jewish communities and right-wing towns. Balad party leader Sami Abu Shehadeh urged citizens to continue coming out in droves despite the opposition. According to figures released by Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, Arab citizens account for 18% of eligible voters, while Israeli citizens comprise 77% and those with no specified religion make up the remaining 5%. Polling stations are scheduled to close at 10 pm local time, with official election results set to be announced on November 4, 2026.