Israeli Politicsupdated 1h ago3 min read
Central Elections Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg Orders Shin Bet Probe Into Foreign Interference
18outlets comparedWhere the coverage agrees
8 Other4 West Asian3 Israeli3 Other source typesThis article is an automated aggregation of coverage from news outlets. Our editorials offer in-depth analysis curated by the NewsCord team.
Noam Sohlberg ordered Shin Bet to investigate foreign interference in the election. Probes include suspected foreign funding and potential Qatar or Turkey involvement.
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18 outlets told this the same way.
Outlets did split on Arab Parties Become Kingmakers as Netanyahu Bloc Falls Short in Israel Election →
Probe request and vote totals
Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg asked Shin Bet to investigate “grave allegations” of foreign interference in Tuesday’s parliamentary elections, and he wrote that “there is an obligation to investigate them thoroughly.”
Sohlberg’s letter directed Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate “severe suspicions” of “improper influence through foreign funding by entities acting against Israeli interests,” while the letter said it could not vouch for the basis of the suspicions.
As counting continued, the El País account said Netanyahu’s Likud would receive 27 seats and drop from 63 to 53, while the Jewish opposition bloc would not govern with 48 seats and Arab parties held the key to entering power.
KTVN, citing AP, said Israelis awaited final results as the head of the Central Elections Committee asked Shin Bet to investigate alleged foreign interference, and it said local media projected 53 seats for Netanyahu’s bloc, 48 for opposition parties, and 19 for Arab-led ones.
KTVN also said Israeli law requires election results to be certified by Nov. 4, and it reported that Eisenkot warned political actors not to “exploit the situation” to influence the timing of the swearing-in set for Nov. 10.
Likud, Ben-Gvir, and Eisenkot
Likud framed the probe as part of a broader fight over legitimacy, and Haaretz reported that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud claimed that "Israel's election was stolen," alleging bribery of Arab parties.
Itamar Ben-Gvir escalated the pressure by calling on Shin Bet to arrest Arab party leaders, and Haaretz said Ben-Gvir called on Shin Bet to arrest Arab party leaders.
Gadi Eisenkot warned against turning the allegations into a tool to delay parliamentary process, and he said “political actors must not be allowed to exploit the situation to influence the date of the swearing-in of the 26th Knesset.”
Eisenkot also called for thorough examination, and he said “Israel must do everything in its power to safeguard the integrity of the elections against any attempt at interference, spin or manipulation.”
Sami Abou Shehadeh, the Balad chairman, accused Netanyahu and his allies of laying groundwork to reject the results through “unsubstantiated allegations of foreign interference and electoral bribery,” and he said “You lost. Go home.”
What could happen next
The Jerusalem Post’s explainer said the legal framework under Section 86 of the Knesset Elections Law allows annulment of election results and even orders new elections throughout the country, but it said the prevailing assessment is that even significant findings would leave “the chances of annulling the election results nationwide” slim. The explainer added that the court could invalidate results and order repeat elections at specific polling stations where proven violations could have affected the outcome, and it said the law does not provide for “automatic disqualification” due to violations of campaign finance laws or receipt of foreign funding. The explainer also said an election appeal will not delay the work of the Knesset, and it cited Section 86(h) stating that “an election appeal will not delay the work of the Knesset.”
KTVN reported that the developments amplified difficult decisions for the weeks ahead, including whether Jewish and Arab parties would team up in a historic alliance or whether parties seeking to unseat Netanyahu would join forces with him. KTVN further said Arab-led parties could assert growing power even without a coalition role by supporting Netanyahu opponents in the next parliament, including electing a new speaker and potentially advancing and passing legislation before a new government is formed.