Israel election results will stand, commission says, as Netanyahu claims vote was 'stolen'

The head of Israel's elections commission has said the results of the country's general election would still stand even if claims of foreign interference were substantiated. Central Elections Committee head Noam Sohlberg stated the position in a video on Sunday, in which he appeared with the head of the Shin Bet, Israel's internal security agency, and the attorney general.

Sohlberg said: 'Our position is that even if the suspicions are substantiated, this would not undermine the integrity of the electoral process or the election results as a whole.'

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party had questioned the results after saying, without providing evidence, that Arab-led parties, which made significant gains in Tuesday's elections, 'stole' the vote and accepted funding from Qatar to do it. Qatar has rejected the allegations, calling it a disinformation campaign.

Also on Sunday, Israeli police released two out of three political activists arrested before Tuesday's polls opened. Police said they were carrying envelopes of cash, allegedly to bribe voters. One was released on unspecified conditions, while another was ordered to remain on house arrest.

Police said the suspects were connected to the Arab-led Ra'am party, which won eight seats. Its leader, Mansour Abbas, denounced the arrests as undemocratic and 'an attempt to influence the election results'.

Main opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot on Sunday accused Netanyahu of launching an 'orchestrated and organised campaign to delegitimise the results'. Eisenkot has previously ruled out forming a coalition with Arab parties, but a deadlock in Tuesday's elections means siding with the parties could help him form a government.

Netanyahu's bloc won 53 seats in Tuesday's elections, while the opposition bloc, led by Eisenkot, won 48 seats. As a result, neither side can form a government alone in Israel's 120-seat parliament.

Israel's three Arab-led parties, including the Ra'am party, won a record 19 seats. A coalition of Arab parties with Eisenkot would provide a comfortable majority of 67 in parliament. However, for many in Israel, the idea of siding with Arab parties is politically unpalatable.

The results are due to be officially certified this week, after which President Isaac Herzog must nominate a candidate to form a new government.