Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of Israel’s Central Elections Committee, stated on Sunday that ongoing suspicions of foreign interference in last week’s Knesset election do not compromise the overall integrity of the vote or its outcome, even if they are ultimately confirmed. His remarks came amid allegations by the Likud party that Arab parties had "stolen" the election, claims dismissed by police who said the available information did not support such accusations.

The finalized election results assigned 19 seats to the Arab parties Ra’am and the Joint List combined, 53 to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bloc, and 48 to the opposing bloc led by Yashar chairman Gadi Eisenkot. With no faction securing an outright majority in the 120-member parliament, efforts to form the next government are expected to proceed as planned.

Sohlberg’s remarks were made in a recorded video alongside key security and legal officials, including Shin Bet Director David Zini, Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara, and acting Central Elections Committee Director-General Dean Livne. He emphasized that suspicions of foreign funding aimed at influencing the election, which may involve national security considerations, are currently under investigation by a joint team comprising the Shin Bet, police, and legal prosecutors. The inquiry remains classified and is conducted covertly.

He further clarified that his statements did not intend to cast doubt on the integrity of the Arab community’s voting. Sohlberg reaffirmed that the official election results would be published and submitted to President Isaac Herzog on Wednesday as scheduled, coinciding with the start of consultations to form a governing coalition.

Likud responded critically to Sohlberg’s assessment, describing it as puzzling that serious suspicions could be acknowledged while simultaneously asserting that these would not affect the election outcome before the investigation concluded. The party warned that “a black cloud hangs over the results” pending the completion of the probe. Likud also noted that only 4,612 votes separated some of the closely contested seats.

The Central Elections Committee will continue overseeing the investigation while ensuring that the election process moves forward without delay, maintaining the balance between addressing potential offenses and finalizing the democratic transition.