Israel's election panel approves results, rejects Netanyahu's fraud claims
Israel's election panel approved the final results of last week's vote on Wednesday, The Guardian and The Jerusalem Post report. The panel said it found no evidence of problems that affected the results. Netanyahu's Likud party abstained and may appeal, the Post reports.
Israel's Central Elections Committee on Wednesday confirmed the final results of last week's vote, The Guardian and The Jerusalem Post report. The Guardian says the vote stripped Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition of its governing majority.
“The review found no evidence of irregularities that compromised the integrity of the election or affected its results,” the committee said in a statement, The Guardian reports. The Guardian says the panel rejected claims of mass fraud promoted by Netanyahu.
The panel's chair, Justice Noam Sohlberg, said some suspicions were still being looked into, The Guardian reports. He said they do not cast doubt on the election as a whole, it says.
Likud and the ultra-Orthodox Shas party abstained from the vote, The Jerusalem Post reports. Likud is looking at filing an appeal, which could come on November 18, the Post reports. Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi resigned from the committee, it says.
The panel checked records from 9,069 polling stations, The Jerusalem Post reports. About 250 public-sector lawyers worked on the review over six days, it says.
Election officials presented the results to President Isaac Herzog, The Guardian reports. Herzog condemned racist attacks on Palestinian citizens of Israel who voted, it says.
Herzog will choose which politician gets the first chance to form a government, The Guardian reports. He is expected to name the main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, possibly as early as Thursday evening, it says. Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of a “pogrom against democracy,” The Guardian reports.
Hours earlier, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said she blocked a Shin Bet request, The Guardian reports. The agency wanted to question senior leaders of Palestinian-led parties. She said she had not been shown any evidence of wrongdoing.
The Shin Bet on Wednesday presented intelligence about the vote, The Jerusalem Post reports. It alleged that large sums of money were sent into Israel from abroad to sway the result.
What we know: The election committee has approved the results and found no evidence that the vote was compromised.
What we don't: Whether Likud will file an appeal, and who Herzog will ask to form a government.
Where outlets agree The Guardian and The Jerusalem Post report that the committee approved the results on Wednesday after finding no evidence that the vote was compromised.
Where they differ The Guardian calls the fraud claims unfounded, while The Jerusalem Post reports that the Shin Bet presented intelligence alleging foreign money was sent into Israel to influence the vote.