Israel Certifies Election Results Despite Fraud Probes

The Central Election Committee formally certified the results of the October 27 election on Wednesday, ending a period of intense political dispute. Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, who chairs the committee, presented the official outcomes to President Isaac Herzog at the President’s Residence. The certification followed a plenum vote that ratified the results, allowing the state to move forward with the government formation process despite ongoing scrutiny of the vote's integrity.

The committee’s 15 opposition representatives voted to approve the certification. The 14 members from the outgoing coalition abstained, while two representatives from the far-right Otzma Yehudit party voted against the final decision. Earlier in the day, the committee’s five-member presidium had already approved the results for ratification, with the outgoing coalition again choosing to abstain rather than vote against the outcome.

Two active investigations are currently examining potential irregularities in the election. A joint probe by the Shin Bet and Mossad is reviewing intelligence suggesting that funds from Qatar and other nations reached the Joint List of Arab parties through disguised donations. A separate police investigation is focused on allegations of vote-buying in the Negev region. The Shin Bet reported to the committee that its findings indicated widespread foreign funding and influence operations involving thousands of individuals, though no public evidence has yet shown that this activity altered the final vote count.

Justice Sohlberg warned that doubting the official results posed a real danger to Israel’s democracy. He noted that even if suspicions of fraud in the Arab community were proven true, the alleged wrongdoing would likely be insufficient to change the election outcome. The committee’s review of protocols from 9,069 polling stations found no irregularities that compromised the vote's integrity. Sohlberg rejected the idea that the outgoing coalition could use its structural majority on the committee to block the transfer of power.

President Herzog accepted the certified results and expressed confidence in the law enforcement agencies investigating the claims. He condemned what he described as coarse and racist rhetoric directed at Arab Israelis during the recent political discourse. Herzog urged 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.

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. Likud MK Amit Halevi resigned from the committee, stating that the body should certify the choice of citizens rather than foreign rulers. The results have now been 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.