Israel's Election Committee Certifies Knesset Results Amid Escalating Right-Wing Pressure
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The Central Elections Committee approved the Knesset election results despite political pressure, while critics warned that allegations of foreign interference and demands for arrests were being weaponized to attack Arab leaders and cast doubt on the vote.
Israel's Central Elections Committee formally approved the Knesset election results on Wednesday, in a tense vote of 15 in favor, 14 against and two abstentions. Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg told President Isaac Herzog that, although allegations of irregularities have been raised, they remain unproven and do not undermine the overall integrity of the vote.
Former senior civil servants, including former prosecutors and security officials, issued a statement sharply criticizing Shin Bet chief David Zini's request for investigations of civilians and elected officials without presented evidence, saying such a move could exceed the agency's authority and deepen political abuse of state power.
Joint List chairman Yousef Jabareen accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir of trying to overturn the election outcome, alleging that Ben-Gvir's calls to arrest Arab party leaders and freeze the results were politically motivated and aimed at disenfranchising Arab representation.
"We will not allow Netanyahu, Ben-Gvir and their partners, who lost at the ballot box, to steal the election from the public," Jabareen said, adding that the committee's confirmation of a properly conducted election must be respected.
Likud MK Amit Halevi resigned from the committee, arguing that suspicions of foreign state interference must be resolved before the committee can validate the results.
Democrats party leader Yair Golan warned that continued leadership by Netanyahu and Ben-Gvir could strain Israel's relations with the United States and lead to dangerous international isolation.
Police arrested a senior Balad party activist linked to party chairman Sami Abu Shehadeh; his wife said officers detained him without explaining the reasons. The activist had recently returned from Qatar, where he conducted an interview with former Knesset member Azmi Bishara.
The Shin Bet briefed the committee that investigations have uncovered large sums of money and numerous individuals potentially involved in attempts to finance and influence the election, though no concrete evidence of widespread irregularities was found after reviewing more than 9,000 polling stations, representing roughly 75 percent of the total.
National Security Minister Ben-Gvir called on Zini to bypass the Attorney General and investigate Arab party leaders over alleged foreign interference, suggesting that the election results be frozen pending further examination.
Sohlberg cautioned that opposition to the certified results by a sizable portion of the committee could set a dangerous precedent, emphasizing that such dissent has no legal effect but could still undermine public trust.