The head of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, Noam Sohlberg, said on Sunday that the results of the general election would stand even if claims of foreign interference were proven. He made the remarks in a video alongside the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency and the attorney general.
The comments follow questions raised by Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu’s Likud party. Without providing evidence, Likud said Arab-led parties, which made significant gains on Tuesday, had “stolen” the vote and accepted funding from Qatar. Qatar has rejected the allegations, calling them a disinformation campaign.
Police release activists arrested with cash before polls
Police released two of three political activists who had been arrested before Tuesday’s polls opened. Officers said the men were carrying envelopes of cash, allegedly to bribe voters. One was freed on unspecified conditions, while another was ordered to remain under house arrest.
Also read: Israel election yields no majority as vote count finishes · Israeli election exit polls indicate no clear winner
Police said the suspects were linked to the Arab-led Ra’am party, which won eight seats. Its leader, Mansour Abbas, condemned the arrests as undemocratic and described them as an attempt to influence the election results.
Deadlock leaves neither bloc able to govern alone
Netanyahu’s bloc won 53 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48. Neither side can form a government alone in the 120-seat parliament. Israel’s three Arab-led parties won a record 19 seats between them.
Eisenkot had previously ruled out a coalition with Arab parties, but the deadlock means such a partnership could help him form a government. A coalition with those parties would give a majority of 67 seats, though many in Israel find the idea politically unacceptable. On Sunday, Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of running an “orchestrated and organised campaign to delegitimise the results.”
Certification sets timeline for forming new government
The results are due to be officially certified this week. After certification, President Isaac Herzog must nominate a candidate to form a new government.
