Israel Election Chief Says Foreign Interference Allegations Will Not Affect Election Results

JERUSALEM: Israel’s election chief has said that even if allegations of foreign interference in the recent elections are proven, the overall election results will remain valid.

Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg said in a video statement on Sunday that even if the suspicions were substantiated, they would not affect the overall transparency of the electoral process or the final election results.

The video also featured the heads of Israel’s domestic security agency, Shin Bet, and the attorney general.

The final election results are expected to be officially certified this week, after which President Isaac Herzog will nominate a candidate to form the new government.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has questioned the election results, alleging without providing evidence that Arab parties, which secured significant gains in Tuesday’s elections, had stolen the election with alleged funding from Qatar.

Meanwhile, Israeli police on Sunday released two of the three political activists arrested before polling began on Tuesday.

According to police, envelopes containing cash were recovered from their possession, allegedly intended to bribe voters.

One activist was released under unspecified conditions, while the other was ordered to remain under house arrest.

Police claimed that the suspects were affiliated with the Arab-led Ra’am party, which won eight seats in the recent elections.

However, Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas strongly condemned the arrests, describing them as undemocratic and calling them a crude attempt to influence the election results.

Clarify the election timelineReduce repetitive election-result wording