Israel President Accepts Election Results as Binding, Rejects Claims of Vote Fraud; Netanyahu Faces Coalition Challenge

Israeli President Isaac Herzog has accepted the certified results of the October 27 parliamentary elections as legally binding, dealing a setback to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s efforts to challenge the outcome. Herzog began consultations with political parties on Wednesday to determine who should be given the opportunity to form the next government.

The election saw Netanyahu and his allies lose their parliamentary majority, while Arab-led parties made historic gains. Neither Netanyahu’s bloc nor that of his main rival, opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot, secured enough seats to form a government independently, setting the stage for potentially complicated coalition negotiations.

“The elections are over. Now is the time to face reality,” Herzog said.

Netanyahu and his supporters have repeatedly alleged, without substantiating their claims, that Arab-led parties had “stolen” the election, possibly with foreign assistance.

Election Commission Finds No Evidence of Result-Changing Fraud

Israel’s elections commission said on Wednesday that its investigation into allegations of electoral fraud had found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the election or affected its results.

The commission’s findings came amid continuing allegations by Netanyahu’s supporters about possible foreign interference.

A separate investigation by the Shin Bet intelligence service, headed by David Zini, a Netanyahu appointee, remains underway.

During a closed-door meeting of the elections committee on Wednesday, its head, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, read out an intelligence assessment from the Shin Bet. The agency reportedly described a widespread influx of substantial funds into Israel from foreign countries, including states hostile towards Israel.

However, the Shin Bet did not provide evidence to support the assertion. The Associated Press obtained a transcript of the assessment from a person who attended the meeting and requested anonymity because the proceedings were closed to the public.

The elections committee has previously said that allegations of foreign attempts to influence the vote are serious and under investigation, but maintained that any such interference had not affected the election results.
Sohlberg reiterated that position while presenting the certified results to Herzog. He said the allegations remained suspicions and that, even if substantiated, their potential impact on the outcome was limited.

He also warned against casting doubt on the election results, stressing that they were legally binding.

Public trust in the electoral process was “easy to destroy, yet very difficult to repair”, he said.

Herzog Begins Consultations to Form New Government

Herzog began meeting political party representatives on Wednesday night as part of the process to identify a candidate capable of forming a coalition government.

Three factions aligned with Netanyahu’s religious-nationalist base recommended that he be given the opportunity to form the next government. A fourth faction, led by a former Netanyahu ally who has since become a rival, recommended opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot.

Eight other parties, including the two Arab-led factions, are scheduled to meet Herzog on Thursday. Eisenkot’s Yashar party and Netanyahu’s Likud are due to hold their consultations last.

Following the meetings, Herzog will select the candidate he believes has the best chance of securing a parliamentary majority. The choice is expected to be between Netanyahu and Eisenkot.

The selected candidate will then have several weeks to negotiate with other parties and assemble a coalition. If neither candidate succeeds, Israel could face another election early next year.

Shin Bet Request to Question Arab Lawmakers Rejected

The controversy surrounding the election intensified after the Shin Bet reportedly sought approval from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on Tuesday to question several elected representatives as part of its investigation into possible foreign interference.

Those reportedly named included Ra’am party leader Mansour Abbas and other senior Arab lawmakers.

Baharav-Miara rejected the request, stating that elected representatives or other citizens could not be questioned without evidence justifying such action.

The Joint List of Arab parties condemned the move, describing it as a campaign of incitement by Netanyahu and his allies aimed at delegitimising the Arab vote.
National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, a far-right ally of Netanyahu, called on the Shin Bet to arrest the leaders of Arab political parties and question them until the suspicions were clarified. Ben-Gvir does not have authority over the intelligence agency.

Herzog Warns Against Targeting Arab Israeli Voters

While supporting the continuation of the Shin Bet investigation into possible foreign interference, Herzog cautioned against stigmatising Arab Israeli voters.

He said the investigation should proceed but stressed that Arab citizens who participated in the democratic process must not be smeared.

“I condemn the coarseness and racist expressions that we have heard recently,” Herzog said.
The president’s remarks came as Israel entered a politically uncertain period, with coalition consultations underway and allegations of foreign interference continuing to draw scrutiny.