Politics
The dispute over the election results in Israel continues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party had accused Arab parties of stealing votes during the election.
The dispute over the election results in Israel continues. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party had accused Arab parties of stealing votes during the election. The party also claimed that these parties had received money from Qatar to buy votes. However, Netanyahu’s party has failed to provide any evidence to support its allegations. Qatar has also rejected the accusations, describing them as an attempt to spread false information.
On Sunday, Israel’s election commission issued a statement regarding the election results. Commission Chairman Noam Solberg said that even if allegations of foreign interference in the election were proven true, the results would remain unchanged. He added that such findings would not undermine the credibility of the entire electoral process. Solberg made these remarks in a video message, accompanied by the head of Israel’s internal security agency, Shin Bet, and the attorney general.
Meanwhile, Israeli police released two of three political activists on Sunday. They had been arrested before polling began. According to police, the activists were carrying envelopes filled with money and were suspected of attempting to buy votes. One of those released was freed under certain conditions, while the other was ordered to remain under house arrest. Police said the individuals were affiliated with the Arab-led United Arab List, which won eight seats in the election.
Opposition leader Eisenkot accused Netanyahu on Sunday of conducting an organised campaign to discredit the election results. Eisenkot had previously ruled out forming a government in cooperation with Arab parties. However, no political bloc has secured a clear majority this time, meaning that their support could enable him to form a government.
It is worth noting that in the election held on November 27, Netanyahu’s bloc secured 53 seats, while the bloc led by Eisenkot won 48. Israel’s parliament has a total of 120 seats, and a majority of 61 is required to form a government. Meanwhile, Arab-led parties won a combined total of 19 seats. The official election results will be announced on November 4. Following the announcement, President Isaac Herzog will invite one of the candidates to form a new government. The designated candidate will have until November 11 to form the government.
