Kathmandu [Nepal], October 29 – Israeli election authorities have ordered the Shin Bet domestic security agency to investigate suspected foreign interference in the country’s parliamentary election amid allegations that overseas funding may have improperly influenced the vote.
Election Commission President Noam Solberg ordered the investigation following concerns that financial support from foreign entities may have been used to influence the electoral process, according to The Times of Israel. Shin Bet has been asked to submit its findings within a week.
However, foreign interference has not been established and Solberg has said he cannot verify the suspicions he received.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party has alleged that money was transferred from Qatar and Turkey to Israel and the occupied West Bank and used to finance Arab political parties. The allegations have not been independently verified.
Israeli police meanwhile, have said they found no evidence supporting Likud’s claims of election fraud. Officials said irregularities during voting were limited and fewer than in previous elections.
Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich and National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir have called for Arab political leaders to be questioned or arrested over the alleged funding.
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot has called for an impartial investigation but warned against using it to delay the swearing-in of the new parliament.
Preliminary projections indicate that Netanyahu’s bloc could secure 53 seats while Eisenkot’s opposition bloc could win 48. Arab parties are projected to obtain 19 seats in the 120-member Knesset where 61 seats are required for a parliamentary majority.
The investigation’s findings and their potential implications for government formation remain uncertain.
