Israel rejects fraud claims as Netanyahu loses governing majority

The Central Elections Committee in Israel officially finalized the results of the general election held last week, declaring the process sound and rejecting allegations of mass irregularity. This decision ends a period of intense political dispute in which Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu contested the outcome by claiming widespread fraud.

The confirmed tally shows that Netanyahu's far-right coalition has lost its governing majority in the Knesset. Noam Sohlberg, the chair of the elections committee, stated that while specific suspicions remain under review, these ongoing checks do not alter the final count or justify further delays in publishing the results. The committee's formal statement noted that no evidence was found to suggest the integrity of the vote was compromised.

The confirmation of the results arrived alongside a legal confrontation involving Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara. She blocked a request from the Shin Bet security service to interrogate senior politicians from Palestinian-led parties. Baharav-Miara argued that in a rule-of-law state, elected officials cannot be questioned without sufficient evidence of wrongdoing. David Zini, the Shin Bet chief appointed by Netanyahu, had ordered these interrogations and sought to classify the investigation as a security file, a move that would have allowed for stricter conditions, including the potential exclusion of legal counsel.

Gadi Eisenkot, the former military leader and main challenger to Netanyahu, criticized the security service's actions. He described Netanyahu's moves as a pogrom against democracy, accusing the prime minister of using state forces to target parties led by Palestinian citizens. Eisenkot has secured support from all Jewish Israeli opposition parties. President Isaac Herzog is expected to name Eisenkot as the candidate to form the next government, a process that could begin as early as Thursday evening.

President Herzog received the final results on Wednesday and used the occasion to address recent racist attacks directed at Palestinian citizens. He noted that these citizens, who make up about 20 percent of the population, turned out to vote at historic rates. Herzog expressed respect for Arab society in Israel, citing their desire to integrate into all areas of national life. The election campaign had included a targeted effort against this demographic, with Netanyahu promoting fraud accusations starting on election day.

Ahmad Tibi, a prominent Palestinian politician reportedly targeted by the security service's interrogation request, responded to the developments with a social media post. He highlighted the timing of the fraud allegations, which coincided with reports of Democratic victories in the United States midterms. Tibi quipped that the alleged sophisticated method involved people arriving in droves at polling stations, casting a slip, and going home.

Negotiations to form a new coalition may take several weeks. Palestinian-led parties have stated that their primary goal is removing Netanyahu from power and are expected to support Eisenkot as the strongest contender to achieve that objective. Analysts have warned that efforts to dismiss the results may continue, with some suggesting that current actions are laying the groundwork for more extreme measures to discredit leading opposition parties.