President Isaac Herzog accepted Israel’s certified parliamentary election results Wednesday after election officials rejected allegations of widespread fraud, leaving Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu without a governing majority and opening negotiations over a new coalition.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
JERUSALEM — Israeli President Isaac Herzog formally accepted the results of the country’s Oct. 27 parliamentary election Wednesday, Nov. 4, rejecting efforts to challenge the outcome after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his allies alleged that Arab-led political parties had stolen votes.
The decision followed a review by Israel’s Central Elections Committee, which found no evidence of irregularities sufficient to invalidate the results. Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist coalition lost its parliamentary majority, while Arab-led parties made historic gains in the 120-seat Knesset.
Herzog received the certified results from Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, during a ceremony at the presidential residence in Jerusalem.
“I hereby receive the official results of the election to the 26th Knesset as you have declared them,” Herzog said in remarks published by The Times of Israel.
His acceptance allows the constitutional process of selecting a candidate to form Israel’s next government to proceed, despite objections from Netanyahu’s Likud party and its coalition partners.
According to The Associated Press, Israel’s election commission concluded Wednesday that its investigation had uncovered no evidence of electoral fraud that compromised the vote or changed the outcome.
The commission examined complaints submitted by political parties following the election, including allegations involving voting patterns in Arab communities and possible foreign interference.
Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly claimed that Arab-led parties benefited from fraudulent voting or outside assistance. Election authorities have not substantiated those allegations.
Arab-led parties secured a record 19 seats in the new Knesset, nearly doubling their representation from 10 seats in the previous parliament.
Their gains have become politically significant because neither Netanyahu’s coalition nor the opposition bloc associated with former military chief Gadi Eisenkot secured the 61 seats needed to govern independently.
The election results leave smaller parties, including Arab-led factions, in a position to influence the formation of the next government.
Although the election commission certified the results, a separate investigation into allegations of foreign interference remains underway.
Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, has examined claims that foreign governments transferred money into the country in an attempt to influence the election.
During a closed meeting Wednesday, Sohlberg read an intelligence assessment indicating that the agency suspected substantial funds had entered Israel from foreign countries, including governments hostile to Israel.
However, the intelligence assessment did not publicly provide evidence substantiating those allegations or establish that any suspected financial activity changed the election results.
Sohlberg emphasized that unproven suspicions did not justify overturning the vote.
“At this stage, these are merely suspicions, and even if they are substantiated, the scope of their potential impact is limited,” he said, according to the Los Angeles Times.
He also warned that allegations undermining public confidence in elections could have lasting consequences.
Public trust is “easy to destroy, yet very difficult to repair,” Sohlberg said.
The certification process itself exposed divisions among Israeli political parties.
According to The Times of Israel’s reporting on the ceremony, two representatives of National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Otzma Yehudit party voted against certifying the results, while 14 other representatives of the outgoing governing coalition abstained.
Despite those objections, the committee approved the results, allowing the political transition process to move forward.
The dispute also intensified after Shin Bet reportedly sought authorization to question several Arab lawmakers as part of its investigation.
Among those identified in Israeli media reports was Mansour Abbas, leader of the Arab-led Ra’am party.
Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara rejected the request, citing insufficient evidence to justify interrogating elected officials.
“It is not permissible to interrogate citizens or elected officials without evidence to justify such action,” she said.
The Joint List of Arab political parties accused Netanyahu’s allies of attempting to undermine the legitimacy of Arab voters and their representatives.
Ben-Gvir, meanwhile, called for the arrest and interrogation of Arab party leaders despite the election commission’s finding that the results were valid.
Herzog condemned inflammatory rhetoric directed toward Israel’s Arab population while supporting continued investigation of credible allegations of outside interference.
“I condemn the coarseness and racist expressions that we have heard recently,” Herzog said.
He emphasized that Israeli Arab citizens should not be collectively blamed for unproven allegations involving election misconduct.
The dispute comes as Israel faces a potentially difficult period of coalition negotiations following an inconclusive parliamentary election.
Eisenkot, a former Israeli military chief and Netanyahu’s principal political challenger, has sought support from opposition factions that could potentially form a government with the assistance of Arab-led parties.
Netanyahu remains a possible candidate to form the next government despite losing the majority previously held by his coalition.
Under Israel’s parliamentary system, the president consults with representatives of political parties before selecting the lawmaker believed to have the strongest prospect of assembling a governing coalition.
That candidate must secure sufficient parliamentary support to form a government. Winning the largest number of seats individually does not automatically guarantee the premiership.
Herzog is expected to consult party leaders over the coming days before deciding whether Netanyahu or Eisenkot should receive the first opportunity to assemble a coalition.
According to Al Jazeera’s analysis of the parliamentary deadlock, Arab-led and ultra-Orthodox parties could play central roles in determining which political bloc ultimately governs.
The possibility of cooperation between Jewish opposition parties and Arab-led factions has generated strong opposition among Netanyahu’s nationalist allies.
Eisenkot’s supporters have argued that the election results provide an opportunity for political change, while Netanyahu’s coalition has continued challenging the legitimacy of the vote and warning against a government dependent on Arab parties.
The disagreement also raises questions about the future direction of Israeli policy on security, relations with the United States and the aftermath of the country’s military confrontation with Iran.
Israel’s next government will inherit significant diplomatic and security challenges, including continuing regional tensions and decisions involving military operations, economic recovery and international relations.
Herzog has urged political leaders to compromise rather than allow the parliamentary stalemate to force another national election.
If neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot can assemble a majority coalition within the required political process, Israel could face another election early in 2027.
The president’s acceptance of the certified results establishes the official parliamentary outcome, but it does not determine who will become prime minister.
As of Wednesday, Netanyahu remained in office while coalition negotiations were beginning, and the Shin Bet investigation into possible foreign interference had not concluded.
The central electoral question has been resolved by certification: Arab-led parties made substantial gains, Netanyahu’s coalition lost its majority and election authorities found no evidence sufficient to invalidate the results.
The remaining question is whether Israel’s divided political parties can negotiate a governing coalition or whether the country will return to the polls.
Original article
Comments