Israel's Underworld Figures Reveal Surprising Political Leanings on Election Day

On Israel's election day, Wednesday, some of the country's most prominent organized crime figures were reported to have revealed their political preferences, according to Walla. The outlet spoke with sources close to the figures, and the picture that emerged included support for the two main Arab parties, Ra'am and the Joint List, as well as for left-wing politician Yair Golan.

These are people who keep police, the State Attorney's Office and the courts busy throughout the year. On election day, however, even familiar names from the criminal underworld turn to the same question as the rest of the country: who will sit in the next Knesset? Behind those names lie political views, and not all of them are predictable.

Sources close to the Jarushi family, which is associated with one of Israel's best-known crime organizations, indicated that the family supports Ra'am and the Joint List. Associates of Eitan Hiya, meanwhile, said his preference is Yair Golan, one of the most visible figures on the Israeli political Left. That alignment may be unexpected, but it points to a varied range of views within the underworld.

According to the report, there is no single political camp or shared position among these circles. Belonging to a particular crime organization or family does not mean its members vote the same way. The information also comes from associates of the individuals involved, and it does not confirm how anyone actually voted.

The report points to a paradox at the center of the story. Law enforcement works to combat criminal organizations and limit their activities, yet people linked to those groups can still take part in the democratic process and help shape the Knesset, provided they keep the right to vote. That same Knesset determines, among other things, the legal tools the state has in its fight against organized crime.

Voting also took place inside Israel's prisons on Wednesday. Polling stations at all detention facilities closed at 8 p.m., and the Israel Prison Service reported a turnout of 88.7% among eligible prisoners and detainees. Data from the service's Operations Division showed that voting was coordinated with the Central Elections Committee after preparations led by IPS Commissioner Kobi Yaakobi. Judges and official observers visited facilities during the day, and ballots were cast in secret under strict security and public order measures.

The vote came as the state continues its struggle against organized crime. The Law for the Protection of the Public from Criminal Organizations, which took effect at the end of 2024, lets courts impose restrictions on people operating within such organizations even without a formal indictment, as long as strict legal conditions are met. Courts may bar individuals from certain areas, confine them to their homes, prohibit contact with specified people and add other limits. The law is intended to prevent serious harm to public safety where criminal proceedings cannot achieve that aim, while minimizing the infringement of individual rights.

One right that association with the criminal underworld does not, on its own, remove is the right to vote. A ballot cast by someone linked to these groups carries the same weight as any other eligible citizen's. Police may monitor criminal organizations, prosecutors may seek to restrict them and courts may issue orders against their members, but behind the voting booth curtain, as long as the right to vote remains, there is no distinction between the investigator and the person under investigation. Both cast ballots for the same Knesset.