Israel election: Suspects freed, interference claims deemed non-impactful

Israeli police released two of three suspects in a voter bribery investigation on Sunday, a move that complicates Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s effort to challenge the outcome of last week’s parliamentary elections. The release weakens the legal basis for the Likud party’s claims that the vote was compromised.

The central election committee, headed by Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, addressed separate allegations of foreign interference. In a video released on Sunday, Sohlberg stated that even if suspicions regarding outside influence are substantiated, they would not undermine the integrity of the electoral process or the final results. He made the remarks while seated with the head of the Shin Bet security service and the attorney general.

Likud immediately pushed back against the committee's position. The party issued a statement questioning how the committee chief could acknowledge serious allegations while simultaneously asserting they would have no effect on the outcome. Netanyahu's bloc has previously claimed, without providing specific evidence, that Arab-led parties stole the election.

The bribery case involved three activists arrested before polls opened on Oct. 27 with envelopes of cash intended for voters. Police later detained four additional suspects linked to the Islamist party Ra'am, which denied involvement. On Sunday, a judge questioned or rejected police requests for stricter restrictions on the original three suspects. One suspect was released with unspecified conditions, another was placed on house arrest for eight days, and the detention of the third was extended for two days.

Netanyahu’s parliamentary bloc lost its majority in the 120-member Knesset, dropping to 53 seats from a previous high of 68. The bloc led by his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats, while Arab-led parties secured the remaining 19. Together, the opposition blocs hold enough seats to form a government, though negotiations have not yet begun.

President Isaac Herzog will begin consultations with elected parties on Wednesday to determine who has the best chance of forming a coalition. If negotiations fail, the country may face new elections early next year. Netanyahu has suggested it would be treasonous for Eisenkot to ally with Arab parties, a view critics say is a tactic to discriminate against the 20% of the population that identifies as Arab.

Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of an orchestrated campaign to delegitimize the results by insinuating that Qatar supported opposition parties. Qatar has denied funding any activities to influence the vote. Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties, criticized the strategy, stating that Netanyahu reverts to racist incitement and the delegitimization of the Arab public during moments of crisis.