Arab-Israeli alliance says election claims 'persecution'

The Arab-Israeli Joint List coalition denounced allegations of political persecution on Wednesday following accusations that one of their lawmakers accepted foreign money before Israel's recent elections, which saw a record turnout from their community. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu doubled down on the accusations, claiming foreign states spent large sums to influence the vote.

The Joint List maintains the targeting of their lawmaker is an attempt to delegitimize Arab citizens' votes. Odeh, a former leader of the Joint List, is under investigation for alleged receipt of hundreds of thousands of shekels from a foreign source. Netanyahu's Likud party has accused the Arabs of accepting money from foreign entities, a claim Odeh's attorney general denied, stating there is no evidence to support the allegations.

Israeli media reports suggest the internal security agency Shin Bet is investigating the claims of foreign election interference. The Central Elections Committee conducted an audit of 9,069 polling stations but found no evidence to challenge the election results.