The Israel Police reported a number of incidents across the country on Election Day as they handled crowd control and investigated complaints of voter fraud.
There were no concerns of voter fraud, Central Elections Committee Director-General Orly Ades assured voters earlier on Tuesday.
“Everything we have done for the last few months is to strengthen the safeguards that prevent the possibility of harm coming to the integrity of Israel’s election,” she said.
Israel Police later offered a contradictory report, estimating tens of complaints alleging voter fraud and identity theft.
One woman told The Jerusalem Post that she arrived around noon at her Tel Aviv polling station, only to find out that someone had already cast her vote using her name and ID number. "This was not the most pleasant [voting] experience," she said, adding that the bureaucratic process was so cumbersome that after two hours of waiting for polling authorities and police to sort her out, she returned home.
In Beit Shemesh, eggs and other objects were thrown at officers stationed at polling stations.
In Netanya, two incidents of identity fraud were reported by the police. Three individuals were arrested for pretending to be polling officials.
A few hours later, the entrance to the city was blocked by about 100 protesters who set a garbage bin on fire. Two were arrested.
In Petah Tikva, an unstable man approached a voting center with a knife, threatening the individuals around him. He was quickly apprehended and taken in for questioning.
Three suspects were arrested for attacking police in east Jerusalem, according to the police. The three reportedly threw rocks at the officers.
A polling station official was attacked in Barta’a, near Jenin, on Tuesday morning, the Central Elections Committee reported. The police were investigating the incident.
Two people were arrested in Jerusalem’s Old City on Tuesday following an attack on Border Police officers with a metal pole, the police reported.
Sixty-one voting stations were opened in prisons for some 8,300 eligible voters who are incarcerated, the Prisons Service reported. In total, prisons saw a 75% voter turnout in this election, compared with 79% in the last election.