Israel’s Electoral Authority Affirms Results Amid Netanyahu Fraud Allegations

Election commission maintains that the election outcome will stay valid despite claims of foreign interference.

Published On 2 Nov 20262 Nov 2026

Israel’s Central Elections Commission president declared that the general election results would remain intact even if allegations of foreign interference were proven.

“Our position is that even if the suspicions are substantiated, this would not undermine the integrity of the electoral process or the election results as a whole,” said Central Elections Committee head Noam Sohlberg in a video broadcast on Sunday, appearing alongside the Shin Bet director and the attorney general.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party challenged the outcome, alleging without evidence that Arab‑led parties, which made notable gains in Tuesday’s poll, had “stolen” the vote by accepting funds from Qatar.

Qatar dismissed the accusations as a disinformation campaign.

Israeli police freed two of three political activists detained before polling began; the suspects were found with envelopes of cash that police said were intended to bribe voters.

One suspect was released under unspecified conditions, while another was placed under house arrest.

Police said the suspects were affiliated with the Arab‑led Ra’am party, which won eight parliamentary seats.

Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas condemned the arrests as undemocratic and an effort to sway the election outcome.

Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of waging an orchestrated campaign to delegitimize the election results.

Eisenkot, who has previously ruled out forming a coalition with Arab parties, now faces a scenario where aligning with them could be necessary to secure a governing majority.

Netanyahu’s bloc captured 53 seats, while the opposition bloc led by Eisenkot garnered 48 seats, leaving neither side able to govern alone in Israel’s 120‑member parliament.

Israel’s three Arab‑led parties, including Ra’am, achieved a historic 19 seats.

A coalition comprising Arab parties and Eisenkot’s bloc would command a comfortable 67‑seat majority; however, many Israeli voters find the prospect of partnering with Arab parties politically unappealing.

The official certification of the results is expected this week, after which President Isaac Herzog will be tasked with nominating a candidate to form a new government.

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