Netanyahu: 'They're Stealing The Election'

Netanyahu: 'They're stealing the election'

Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu blasted the Blue and White party just ahead of his departure for London, accusing the center-left party of opposing a bill which would permit security cameras to be installed in voting booths to prevent mass voter fraud, particularly in the Arab sector.

Speaking with reporters on the tarmac just before boarding his flight, Netanyahu pushed back on criticism of the bill, and accused opponents of tacitly supporting voter fraud.

“I was asked now by reporters ‘Why on earth are you pushing for cameras in the voting booths?’,” said Netanyahu. “I say to them: Why on earth do you oppose cameras? How can you possibly be opposed to cameras? Installing cameras will prevent the election from being stolen.”

The prime minster also took aim specifically at MKs Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid, two leaders of the Blue and White party, saying the center-left party hoped to benefit from massive voter fraud in the Arab sector.

“Gantz and Lapid are filing an appeal against the installing of cameras. We know why. They’ve said that they plan to make a coalition – a left-wing government – together with Ahmed Tibi and Aymen Odeh, who will be ministers in their government,” said Netanyahu, referring to two MKs running with the predominantly Arab Joint List party.

“The last thing [Gantz and Lapid] want is an accurate count of the votes and transparency in it the election.”

“Our position is that there should be cameras in every voting booth, of everyone…and that the election monitors should all have cameras, just like in all of the kindergartens, schools, and supermarkets. Now, all of the sudden, you can’t have cameras in the voting area? How can you even explain that? How can you justify that? And how can politicians or jurists come oppose such a basic thing – unless there is someone who wants the Likud to lose. They want to steal the election. We won’t let them steal this election.”

Last month, Central Election Committee Chairman Judge Hanan Melcer announced that cameras were not be permitted in the voting booths for the September 17th election, despite their use in the previous election.

Following the decision, the government drafted a bill which would codify the right of election monitors to use cameras in voting booths.