Israel Election Probe: Judge Requests Investigation Into Foreign Interference

Israel’s Central Elections Committee has requested an intelligence investigation into alleged foreign election interference, as Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc loses its parliamentary majority, elpais.com reported.

Supreme Court Judge Requests Shin Bet Probe Into Foreign Interference

Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs Israel’s Central Elections Committee, formally asked the Shin Bet security agency and intelligence services in the occupied Palestinian territories to investigate what he termed serious allegations of foreign meddling in Tuesday’s legislative elections. In a letter addressed to Shin Bet director David Zini, Sohlberg stated that he could not verify the foundation of the suspicions but insisted that involvement by foreign entities creates an obligation to investigate thoroughly to ensure public trust in the democratic process. While Sohlberg did not name any country, many eyes turn toward Qatar. The newspaper Haaretz reports that the denunciations include accusations that Qatar provided funds aimed at increasing voter participation in Israel’s Arab communities.

Likud Alleges Foreign Funding Boosted Arab Party Votes

With the vote count nearly finalized, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party leads with 27 projected seats, but his right-wing and ultra-orthodox coalition drops from 63 seats down to 53, stripping him of a governing majority. In response, Likud officials have labeled the allegations “Raamgate,” accusing external entities of funneling cash to boost turnout for Arab parties like Raam and the Joint List. The party asserted that foreign funding aims to achieve a takeover of the Knéset and the islamization of Israel, declaring that no Zionist party should form a government reliant on those votes. Benjamin Netanyahu also accused Arab parties, which will be fundamental in forming a new government with their 19 seats nearly doubling their presence in the Hebrew parliament, of “robbing” the elections without presenting proof, adopting a style reminiscent of Trump or Bolsonaro. Netanyahu’s Likud claimed to have submitted hundreds of testimonies and proofs regarding irregularities, including thousands of envelopes containing cash alongside ballots for the Raam party, which is projected to secure eight seats. Meanwhile, far-right figures like Itamar Ben Gvir demanded the arrest of Arab party leaders suspected of receiving financing from Qatar, and Bezalel Smotrich urged that they be investigated by the Shin Bet immediately.

Police Reject Vote-Theft Claims While Opposition Leaders Split

Opposition leaders split sharply over the inquiry. Conversely, Yair Golán of the Democrats accused Netanyahu of orchestrating a delegitimization campaign to contest his minority status. Amid these disputes, a police source declared in a press statement that the election day proceeded with very few incidents affecting the integrity of the process, even compared to previous elections, rejecting the vote-theft claims.

Parties Negotiate Government Scenarios Before Friday Tally

The full 100% election tally is scheduled for release on Friday. Political parties have spent the week negotiating potential scenarios, which range from a minority or national unity government to entirely new elections, hinging on whether the Jewish opposition is willing to cooperate with the 19 seats secured by Arab lists.

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