Israeli Election Commission: Final Results Confirmed

The Central Elections Committee in Israel confirmed the final results of last week’s vote on Wednesday. The body rejected allegations of large-scale foreign interference and voter fraud that had been promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. This decision formally strips his far-right coalition of its governing majority.

Noam Sohlberg, the chair of the committee, stated that while some suspicions remain under investigation, they do not cast doubt on the election as a whole. He said the findings do not justify delaying the announcement of results. The committee presented the final data to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday.

Herzog denounced racist attacks on Palestinian citizens who turned out to vote at historic rates. He condemned the coarseness and racist expressions heard in recent days. Herzog said he holds Arab society in Israel in great respect and values its contribution to the country in every area of life.

Gadi Eisenkot, the main challenger to Netanyahu, accused the prime minister of launching a pogrom against democracy. He claimed Netanyahu attempted to hold on to power by discrediting valid votes and weaponizing security forces. Eisenkot secured the public support of all Jewish Israeli opposition parties. Palestinian-led parties, which make up about 20% of the population, expect to back him as the strongest contender to remove Netanyahu from office.

Tensions escalated earlier in the day when Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara blocked a demand from the Shin Bet security service. The Shin Bet had sought to interrogate senior politicians from Palestinian-led parties. Baharav-Miara stated that neither citizens nor elected officials can be interrogated without evidence that justifies the action. She noted that no evidence of wrongdoing had been presented to her.

The Shin Bet chief, David Zini, had ordered the interrogations and sought to classify the investigation as a security file. This classification would have allowed for harsher conditions, including barring the politicians from having legal counsel. Ahmad Tibi, a prominent Palestinian politician reportedly targeted by the Shin Bet, responded to the move with sarcasm on social media. He noted that the attorney general was checking suspicions of ties between the Joint List and US Democrats, where people also arrived in droves to cast a slip and go home.

Herzog will choose which politician has the first chance to create a coalition. He is expected to name Eisenkot, with an announcement possible as early as Thursday evening. Eisenkot warned of ongoing attempts to undermine trust in the election results. He stated that employees of the Ministry of Defense, law enforcement, and the civil service are servants of the state, not the king.