Israeli Courts Reject Netanyahu Claims of Stolen Vote

Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, the head of Israel's elections committee, declared on Sunday that the country's recent parliamentary vote would stand despite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's assertions that Arab-led parties stole the election. Sohlberg stated that even if suspicions of interference are substantiated, the integrity of the electoral process and the final results would not be undermined.

Netanyahu's Likud party lost its majority in the 120-member Knesset, dropping to 53 seats from a previous peak of 68. His main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, led a bloc that won 48 seats, while Arab-led parties secured 19 seats. The opposition blocs hold enough seats to form a new government, a prospect Netanyahu seeks to block by questioning the validity of the results.

Likud cited specific cases to support its claims, including the arrest of three political activists on October 27 with envelopes of cash intended to bribe voters. Police arrested four additional suspects two days later, linking them to the Islamist party Ra'am, which denied involvement. A judge questioned police requests for further restrictions on the original three suspects on Sunday. Police released one suspect under unspecified conditions, ordered another to remain on house arrest for eight days, and extended the detention of the third for two days.

Mansour Abbas, leader of Ra'am, which won eight seats, denounced the arrests as undemocratic and an attempt to influence the election results. Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of an orchestrated campaign to delegitimize the vote by insinuating that Qatar supported opposition parties. Qatar has denied funding any activities meant to influence the outcome, though it is viewed by many Israelis as a patron of Hamas.

Shin Bet opened an investigation into foreign interference at the request of the election commission. Eisenkot said he was briefed on this probe. Netanyahu suggested it would be treasonous for Eisenkot to join with Arab parties, a claim that sparked protests outside Eisenkot's home on Sunday night. One protester, Shoshana Idasis, said, “We have a tiny country, a very tiny Jewish country. We want to keep it as a Jewish country.”

Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties, which won 11 seats, criticized Netanyahu for using racist incitement. Jabareen noted that more than half of the content published by Likud on election day targeted Arab voters. He stated, “In moments of crisis, he reverts to his familiar tactic: racist incitement and the delegitimization of the Arab public.”

The election results are due to be officially certified this week. President Isaac Herzog will begin meeting with elected parties on Wednesday to determine who to invite to form a government. If coalition talks fail, the country faces a new election early next year.