Israel’s election commission has said the results will stand, even if claims of foreign interference prove true. Central Elections Committee head Noam Sohlberg said such suspicions would not undermine the integrity of the vote. The statement follows claims by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party that Arab-led parties “stole” the election.
Likud alleged, without evidence, that Qatar funded the effort, and Qatar rejected the claim as disinformation. Police also released two of the three activists arrested with cash envelopes, allegedly meant to bribe voters. Police linked the suspects to the Ra’am party, whose leader Mansour Abbas called the arrests undemocratic.
The vote left Netanyahu’s bloc with 53 seats and Gadi Eisenkot’s bloc with 48 in the 120-seat Knesset. Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats, so neither side reaches the 61 needed to govern. Results are due for certification this week, after which President Isaac Herzog must nominate a candidate.
Arab-led parties now hold the balance, which explains the intensity of the fraud allegations. Eisenkot has ruled out an Arab partnership, yet an alliance with them would give him 67 seats. He accuses Netanyahu of running an organised campaign to delegitimise the results. If neither leader reaches 61 seats, another election is possible early next year. Claims linking this turmoil to pressure on Washington over Iran remain unverified.
Read More: Israel Election Under Scrutiny as Shin Bet Probes Alleged Foreign Interference
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