Israel election commission rejects Netanyahu's fraud claims, confirms results
What's the story
Israel's Central Elections Committee has officially confirmed the results of last week's general elections, dismissing allegations of fraud by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his party. The committee submitted the results to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. Herzog will now consult with political leaders over the next two days to decide who is best positioned to form a coalition government. In the October 27 elections, the PM's bloc won 53 seats while Gadi Eisenkot's opposition bloc secured 48 seats.
Election outcome
Arab-led parties win record 19 seats
The Arab-led parties Ra'am and the Joint List made history by winning a record 19 seats.
The results have left both Netanyahu and Eisenkot's blocs short of the 61-seat majority required to govern in Israel's 120-seat Knesset.
Since neither bloc was able to attain the 61-member majority, President Herzog has urged both sides to accept that "not every commitment and promise can be fulfilled" and to avoid new elections.
Fraud allegations
Allegations of election theft dismissed
Netanyahu's bloc has repeatedly claimed that Arab-led parties "stole" the election with possible foreign assistance.
However, Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who heads the Central Elections Committee, dismissed these claims, saying those casting doubt on the results pose "a real danger" to Israel's democracy.
The committee said it reviewed 9,069 polling stations and found no irregularities that could have affected the election results.
Coalition talks
President Herzog departs from tradition in consultations
The election deadlock increases the prospect of a unity government or a coalition between Eisenkot and Arab-led parties.
In a departure from tradition, President Herzog will first meet with leaders of smaller parties before consulting larger blocs, Times of Israel reported.
The president will give a candidate 28 days to form a government after two days of consultations, with a possible 14-day extension.
If no coalition is formed, Israel could be headed for another election early next year.
Investigation underway
Investigation into foreign funding launched
While the result has been confirmed, Justice Sohlberg said Israeli authorities would keep investigating allegations of vote misconduct.
The internal security agency Shin Bet has already launched an investigation into allegations of widespread foreign funding and influence operations in the recent Israeli elections.
It is reportedly seeking to question four Arab politicians but has not given prosecutors evidence regarding three of them."