Election fraud claims fuel political tensions in Israel

Jerusalem, Oct 29 (EFE).- Allegations of electoral fraud and suspicions of foreign interference opened a new front of political tension in Israel on Thursday.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party claimed the election was stolen in favor of Arab parties, while police and election officials say there is no evidence of systematic irregularities.

Likud said that it had submitted hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence to the Central Elections Committee (CEC) and Israeli security services concerning alleged irregularities during Tuesday’s vote.

Among its claims, the party cited the alleged presence of thousands of envelopes containing cash alongside ballots for Raam, an Islamist Arab party that has secured eight seats in the provisional count.

Israeli police rejected accusations that Arab parties had tried to «steal the elections,» saying there was no evidence to support them.

Dean Livne, director of the CEC, also defended the legality of the vote, saying claims of systematic violations of electoral integrity were unfounded.

The committee is chaired by a judge and includes representatives of parliamentary groups in proportion to their size. Its current composition gives Netanyahu’s coalition a majority.

Alleged foreign interference

Amid the controversy, CEC chairman Noam Sohlberg asked Shin Bet chief David Zini on Wednesday to investigate complaints of possible foreign interference in the elections.

The conservative judge did not disclose the source of the allegations.

In his letter to Zini, made public Thursday, Sohlberg acknowledged that he could not confirm the basis of the suspicions but said the possibility of foreign involvement warranted a thorough investigation. He asked the intelligence service to present its findings, if any, next week.
Israeli media reported that the allegations included suspicions that Qatar had provided funds to increase electoral participation among Arab citizens of Israel.

The origin of the information and the extent of the suspicions have not been publicly clarified, while the Qatari government has denied the accusations.

Likud has dubbed the affair «Raamgate,» a reference to Raam, and described any foreign intervention intended to benefit Arab parties as an unprecedentedly serious matter.

Raam leader Mansour Abbas denied that his party had any connection to the alleged electoral bribery and pledged full cooperation with the authorities to establish the facts.

The Joint Arab List, the other party targeted by the accusations, described Likud’s attacks as part of a «coordinated campaign» that it said had been underway for months to undermine its legitimacy.

The coalition accused sections of the right of refusing to accept the election results and said the allegations carried racist overtones.

Its president, Yusef Yabarín, said the campaign of incitement had intensified after the vote reflected unprecedented Arab participation.

Before the elections, the CEC had sought to disqualify Arab parties, but the Supreme Court overturned that decision.

Netanyahu undermining election results

The allegations have drawn a sharp response from the opposition, which accuses Netanyahu of using unverified suspicions to cast doubt on the election results and the record turnout among Arab voters.

Gadi Eisenkot, leader of the opposition bloc and head of the center-right Yashar! (Straight!) party, alleged that an effort was underway to delay the publication of the results and undermine the legitimacy of the next Knesset, or Parliament.

Eisenkot argued that Netanyahu was seeking to use information of uncertain scope to challenge the outcome of the vote.

Yair Golan, leader of the left-wing Democrats party, similarly accused Netanyahu of mounting a campaign against the Arab population to undermine voters’ expressed will.

President Isaac Herzog called for an investigation into the allegations and any possible evidence of bribery, while warning against de-legitimizing Arab citizens who had voted in record numbers.

Uncertain coalition arithmetic

The dispute comes as Israel faces uncertainty over the formation of its next government.

With almost all votes counted, excluding ballots cast through the «double envelope» system, Likud leads with 27 seats, compared with 21 for Eisenkot’s Yashar!.

The double-envelope system is used mainly by soldiers, but also by hospitalized people, diplomats and others voting outside their assigned polling stations.

According to the latest figures, Netanyahu’s bloc holds 53 seats, while the opposition has 48, leaving both short of the 61 seats required for a parliamentary majority.

Arab parties hold 19 seats, their best result to date, and could prove decisive in enabling an alternative government, although they remain outside both blocs.

The electoral controversy coincides with a broader struggle over the legitimacy of the results and the role of Arab parties in shaping Israel’s next government.

The new Knesset is scheduled to be sworn in on Nov. 10. EFE

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