Surveillance cameras .. Netanyahu's weapon to reduce the Arab vote

Mohamed Mohsen Wedd - Occupied Jerusalem

Under the pretext of monitoring the conduct of the voting process for the Israeli Knesset elections in the Arab community, the ruling Likud party announced a budget of $ 600,000 for the deployment of surveillance cameras in the headquarters and electoral committees in the Arab towns only, through the assignment of hundreds of Likud activists and settlers to work in polling stations and provide them with equipment for photography .

The Likud plan, according to a consensus of political and human rights activists, aims to intimidate and frighten the Arabs from participating in the elections and to reduce the voting rate. Those who are entitled to vote from the Arabs are 950,000, of which 460,000 voted in the 21 Knesset elections last April .

The Central Election Commission (CEC), headed by Judge Hanan Meltzer, is meeting within days to discuss the issue and the demands of human rights centers to ban the publication of surveillance cameras at the polling stations in the Knesset elections that will take place on September 17. The Likud provided in the last elections 1,300 delegates with surveillance cameras in the Arab towns.

According to testimonies documented by human rights centers for Arab members of the polling stations in the previous Knesset elections, and what the Likud party revealed about the use of surveillance cameras, the Israeli party brought in secret equipment and light cameras that were placed in pens placed on party shirts at polling stations in Arab towns. These cameras conduct what happened at the electoral headquarters.

In the April elections, the Likud plan contributed to the deployment of surveillance cameras in the electoral commissions, reducing the voting rate to 50%. Arab representation in the Knesset has dropped to 10 seats, after participating in the 2015 elections, about 64% gave the Arabs 13 seats.

Intimidation and reduction
Ministers and members of the Likud - including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu - boasted of the plan, saying it was "part of a deliberate plan to reduce the Arab vote," although this Likud move contravened Article 119 of the Election Law, The voter shall exercise his right to vote.

The Arab rejection of these cameras because it will include the electoral committees and ballot boxes in Arab towns only, under the pretext of monitoring the conduct of the electoral process and to prevent counterfeiting.

It is noteworthy that the publication of cameras at polling stations is a tightening and distortion of the Arab voters, which is rejected by Israeli law itself in items "119A -1" and "119A-3" of the Election Law of the Knesset in 1958, which is a disruption to the electoral process a violation Criminal offense.

After a complaint against the Likud party by the Justice Center, Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit opposed the installation of surveillance cameras in the polling stations during the voting process and announced that only the cameras would be allowed to operate during the counting process.

On the other hand, the head of the CEC is also looking forward to allowing the use of phonograms, without filming voters or protocols, and using cameras during voting in cases of fear of violations of the integrity of the elections.

In light of the fuzzy position of the law enforcement authorities on the deployment of surveillance cameras, Netanyahu renewed his incitement to the Arab citizens of the country, in an effort to win the voters in the right camp.

Netanyahu sent a video to hundreds of thousands of followers and supporters of the Likud party inciting the leader of the joint list Ayman Odeh and Arab voters, in the context of the systematic campaign of right-wing parties to delegitimize the deputies in the Arab parties.

Criminalization and projection
In response to Netanyahu's intention to deploy surveillance cameras at polling stations in Arab towns, a return to Al-Jazeera Net said that "the main task will be to raise the percentage of votes, increase the number of Arab deputies and strengthen the status of the joint list in the political scene in the Knesset.

The head of the joint list said that the interest of minorities in any country is to change and achieve achievements to preserve its existence and rights. He pointed out that the national duty obliges the Palestinians to raise the percentage of voting for the Knesset and support the joint list to confront the Fascist right, which seeks to delegitimize Arab leaders, .

He stressed that the Arab masses at home have differences with all the political ideologies that were founded for the Zionist project, but at this stage, "it is imperative that we do everything to prevent Netanyahu and the right from forming the next government. This mission does not contradict our fundamental differences with all the ideologies in Israel. Stressing that Netanyahu derives his continued career in governance from the unprecedented incitement to the Palestinian people.

Throttle and silence
As the right-wing camp is going to choke and block Arab voices, political activist Marzouq Halabi sees the need for Arab citizens to participate in the elections and raise the vote for the joint list.

According to the political activist, the Likud plan to stifle the Arab voice and silence it by setting up cameras at polling stations in Arab towns on Election Day aims to intimidate and provoke as much as possible Arab participation in the elections.

It is believed that the Fascist right has similar plans and more, indicating that they want through the deployment of surveillance cameras to hunt two birds with one stone: the rallying of supporters to attack the moral and direct on the Arab voters, and cause Arab reluctance for the elections, increasing their chances to retain power.

Discrimination and violation
The Center for Human Rights (Adalah) again sent a letter to the Attorney General and the law enforcement authorities to open an investigation against the Likud party because of cameras in polling stations in Arab towns after the election commissioner Hanan Meltzer issued a non-binding decision in the previous elections. In the upcoming elections.

PCHR called for clarifying the reason why a criminal investigation against the Likud party was not opened. In a letter sent by Attorney Sawsan Zahar, the Center demanded that the Likud be prevented from placing surveillance cameras at polling stations because they obstruct the electoral process and affect citizens' right to vote. .

The lawyer believes that the decision of Judge Meltzer is loose and can not be interpreted clearly, and does not explicitly prohibit the placement of cameras. It does not guarantee the prevention of racial discrimination against Arab voters, and therefore demanded clear and specific instructions prohibiting the use of cameras at polling stations during the upcoming elections.

"The use of cameras is clearly racist and the failure to open a criminal investigation contributes to the continuation of racial discrimination against Arab citizens, violating their constitutional rights and supporting discrimination by the Election Commission and law enforcement authorities," Zahar said in her letter.