Israel Certifies Election Results Amid Disputes and Fraud Allegations

Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Election Committee, formally presented the certified results of the October 27 election to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday. The ceremony took place at the President’s Residence following a plenum vote that ratified the outcomes. Despite ongoing investigations into suspected irregularities, the committee concluded that the vote was valid and moved forward with the official certification process.

The certification vote saw the 15 representatives of the opposition bloc approve the results. In contrast, the 14 representatives of the outgoing coalition abstained, while two members of the far-right Otzma Yehudit party voted against certification. Earlier in the day, the committee’s five-member presidium approved the results for ratification, with representatives from the outgoing coalition abstaining in that preliminary vote.

Speaking at the ceremony, Sohlberg warned that casting doubt on the official results posed a real danger to Israel’s democracy. He emphasized that a peaceful transfer of power is a foundational element of democratic systems. Sohlberg noted that even if the suspicions of fraud in the Arab community were proven true, the extent of the alleged wrongdoing would likely be insufficient to alter the final election outcome.

President Herzog accepted the results and expressed full confidence in the law enforcement agencies tasked with investigating the claims. He condemned what he described as coarse and racist rhetoric directed at Arab Israelis during the political discourse. Herzog urged all political factions to find compromises in their campaign commitments to form a government and avoid the need for new elections given the current political deadlock.

The certification came despite two active investigations into potential irregularities. A joint probe by the Shin Bet and Mossad is examining intelligence suggesting that money from Qatar and other nations may have reached the Joint List of Arab parties through disguised donations. A separate police investigation is looking into allegations of vote-buying in the Negev region.

The Shin Bet informed the election committee that its intelligence pointed to widespread foreign funding and influence operations involving thousands of people. The agency stated that the money came from actors with concealed or hostile interests, though further work is needed to determine the full scale. No evidence has been made public showing that this activity actually changed the vote count.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir reacted strongly to the findings, calling for the arrest of Arab party leaders for questioning. He demanded an immediate freeze on the certification process, arguing that the election was stolen. Meanwhile, Likud MK Amit Halevi resigned from the committee, stating that the body should certify the choice of citizens rather than foreign rulers.

Before the final vote, the committee announced that its extensive review of protocols from 9,069 polling stations found no irregularities that compromised the integrity of the vote. Sohlberg rejected the idea that the outgoing coalition could use its structural majority on the committee to block the transfer of power. He stated that the committee has no authority to reject the voters' decision.

The results were also published in the state gazette, as required by law. Herzog is expected to begin consultations with Knesset factions to determine who will receive the mandate to form a government. The designated leader will have up to 42 days to build a coalition. The president called for creativity and goodwill to resolve the stalemate and ensure the state emerges as the winner.