Long delays and queues reported at polling stations in Palestinian and Bedouin communities in Israel

Summary

Voters in Palestinian communities in Israel faced long delays at polling stations during voting, according to reports from Middle East Eye, which cites Haaretz and the Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Adalah. An Adalah monitor, Yeela Raanan, said there were numerous reports of severe slowdowns at many polling stations and that the group had observed systemic delays. Adalah said police were checking voters' identities at polling station entrances and holding up their entry, while committees were carrying out voting procedures slowly and asking irrelevant questions. Some committees allegedly closed doors and suspended voting. Adalah has filed a complaint with Israel's election committee. In Shaqib al-Salam, a Bedouin town in Israel's Southern District, Haaretz reported that some voters waited more than four hours to vote, and that some left as hundreds queued outside a polling station. Some of those voters had travelled dozens of kilometres to cast their ballots.

Timeline

1. Middle East Eye

   27 Oct 2026, 13:09 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports that delays and long lines have been seen at polling stations in Palestinian communities in Israel, according to Adalah, which told Haaretz of systemic delays, police checks at entrances, slow and irrelevant questioning by committees, and doors allegedly closed and voting suspended, and that it has complained to Israel's election committee.

2. Middle East Eye

   27 Oct 2026, 19:11 UTCSource ↗

   Middle East Eye reports, citing Haaretz, that Palestinian Bedouin voters waited more than four hours to vote in Shaqib al-Salam, a Bedouin town in Israel's Southern District, with some leaving as hundreds queued outside a polling station and some having travelled dozens of kilometres.