JERUSALEM — Israel’s election results will remain valid even if claims of foreign election meddling are confirmed, the head of the nation’s election panel said Sunday, pushing back against claims from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that the vote was stolen.
Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, said in a joint video address alongside the head of the Shin Bet internal security agency and Israel’s attorney general that the ongoing inquiries would not alter the outcome. Sohlberg said even if suspicions are verified, they “would not undermine the integrity of the electoral process or the election results as a whole,” Al Jazeera reported.
Disputed Claims of Foreign Interference
The announcement followed assertions by Netanyahu’s Likud party on Thursday alleging that Arab-majority parties “stole” Tuesday’s ballot using foreign financial backing from Qatar. Likud argued without citing evidence that the election represented an effort to overthrow the right-wing administration, according to CBS News.
Qatar strongly pushed back against the accusations. Foreign ministry spokesperson Majid Al-Ansari said Doha categorically denies interfering in the contest or funding efforts to sway the outcome, stating that Qatar “should not be used as a scapegoat for the political failures of certain Israeli politicians,” CBS News reported.
Acting Director-General of the Central Elections Committee Din Livne also affirmed in a letter Thursday that there was no basis to claims regarding any systematic breakdown in the election’s integrity. Israeli police did release two of three activists arrested before the vote on suspicion of carrying cash envelopes to bribe voters, Al Jazeera noted. Police alleged the figures had ties to the Arab-led Ra’am party, whose leader, Mansour Abbas, dismissed the arrests as undemocratic political interference.
Parliamentary Deadlock and Coalition Talks
Official tallies showed Netanyahu’s right-wing bloc secured 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, down from 68, while the opposition bloc led by Yashar party leader Gadi Eisenkot picked up 48 seats. Neither side achieved the 61-seat threshold needed to establish a government on its own.
Arab-majority parties earned an unprecedented 19 seats, driven by record turnout. While Arab factions collectively hold enough seats to hand Eisenkot’s bloc a 67-seat majority, working with them remains contentious among Israeli parties that previously pledged not to rely on Arab factions, CBS News reported.
Eisenkot on Sunday accused Netanyahu of mounting an organized campaign to delegitimize the outcome to delay publication of official results. Ahmad Tibi, leader of the Ta’al faction within the Joint List, told Jordanian state television that his faction was prepared to back an opposition coalition as a safety net to address urgent community needs, though lawmakers noted significant policy differences on Palestinian issues remain.
Internal Debate Within Security Agency
The Shin Bet’s inquiry into foreign funding has sparked internal discord over the strength of the evidence, according to Israeli broadcaster KAN News, cited by The Jerusalem Post. Agency director David Zini wanted to broaden the investigative methods used, but three senior officials opposed that path, arguing that suspicions were narrow and lacked solid proof that illicit overseas money influenced the election.
Sohlberg stated that the joint inquiry by internal security, police and prosecutors will proceed under his supervision while the formal transition moves ahead. Official results are set to be submitted Wednesday to President Isaac Herzog, who will then begin consultations to task a lawmaker with forming Israel’s next government.
