Israel’s attorney general, Dr. Avichai Mandelblit, remains opposed to the placement of surveillance cameras in voting stations around Israel in the upcoming election for 22nd Knesset. He adds that doing so may be committing a criminal offense.

In the last election, in April 2019, it was discovered that some Likud poll watchers were wearing hidden cameras, supplied to them by the party to watch and document against election fraud in the Arab sector. The discovery of the cameras led to an outcry and widespread condemnation of Likud.

Likud expressed a desire to use cameras again in the upcoming race, on September 17, 2019, but it appears the attorney general’s opinion will put an end to that idea.

Mandelblit stated the placement of cameras at polling stations could, in some cases, constitute a criminal offense of interfering with the proper course of elections for as long as there is a fear this could be disruptive to the election process. Meaning: The Chairman of the Center Election Committee, Justice Chanan Meltzer, could issue an order prohibiting the placement of cameras.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)