Israeli officials say results stand as Netanyahu claims election ‘stolen’
Israel's election commission says results will stand even if foreign interference claims are proven true, as Prime Minister Netanyahu accuses Arab parties of stealing votes.
The head of Israel's elections commission has affirmed that the results of Tuesday's general election would remain valid even if claims of foreign interference were substantiated. Central Elections Committee head Noam Sohlberg made the statement in a video released Sunday, appearing alongside the heads of Shin Bet and the attorney general.
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu's Likud party has questioned the results, alleging without evidence that Arab-led parties "stole" the vote and accepted funding from Qatar. The Arab parties made significant gains, winning a record 19 seats in the 120-seat parliament.
Arrests and allegations
Israeli police released two of three political activists arrested before the polls opened, who were carrying cash allegedly intended for bribing voters. The suspects were connected to the Arab-led Ra'am party, whose leader Mansour Abbas denounced the arrests as "undemocratic and an attempt to influence the election results." Qatar has rejected the allegations as a disinformation campaign.
Orchestrated and organised campaign to delegitimise the results
Political deadlock
Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats, while the opposition led by Gadi Eisenkot won 48, leaving neither side able to form a government alone. A coalition of Arab parties with Eisenkot would provide a comfortable majority of 67 seats, though this option is politically unpalatable for many in Israel.
The results are due to be officially certified this week, after which President Isaac Herzog must nominate a candidate to form a new government. The political uncertainty continues as both blocs explore potential coalition options.
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