Israel Election Chief: Results Are Valid Despite Foreign Interference Probe
Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg says allegations of foreign funding aimed at influencing the vote are serious and will be fully investigated, but insists the evidence does not call the overall results into question; official results are to be submitted to President Herzog on Wednesday.
Israel's top election official said Sunday that last week's parliamentary elections were conducted properly and reflected the will of voters, seeking to reassure the public amid an investigation into suspected foreign interference that has fueled political accusations and raised questions about the legitimacy of the results.
"I can tell you with full responsibility: The elections for the 26th Knesset were conducted properly," said Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee. "Any irregularities are currently being examined. The election results reflect the will of the voters."
Speaking at an evening news conference alongside Shin Bet Director David Zini, Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara and Dean Livne, acting director-general of the Central Elections Committee, Sohlberg acknowledged the seriousness of allegations that foreign actors had provided funding intended to influence the election. But he rejected suggestions that the information currently available could undermine the nationwide results.
"The suspicions presented are serious. We will investigate them thoroughly and get to the bottom of the truth," he said. "At the same time, the claim that the evidence currently before us could call into question the election results as a whole is incorrect."
Sohlberg said the investigation would continue while the election process proceeded as scheduled, with official results to be published Wednesday and submitted to President Isaac Herzog.
"First and foremost, I want to emphasize: Your decision at the ballot box will be respected," he said. "That is the commitment of the Central Elections Committee to every citizen of Israel."
(File Photo) Justice Noam Sohlberg. Photo: Spokesman's Office of the Judiciary of Israel, CC BY-SA 4.0.