'Israel' approves election results despite 'stolen election' claims

• 'Israel's' Central Elections Committee certified results across 9,069 polling stations, finding no integrity compromises
• The certification passed 15–2 with Otzma Yehudit voting against and 14 right-wing members (Likud, Shas, UTJ, Religious Zionism) abstaining
• Committee Chairman Noam Sohlberg affirmed external interference suspicions and Likud "stolen election" claims do not invalidate the outcome
• Certified results go to 'Israeli' President Isaac Herzog to begin consultations on coalition building

'Israel’s' Central Elections Committee formally approved the official election results and the allocation of Knesset seats on Wednesday, concluding after a comprehensive examination of thousands of complaints and polling records that there was no evidence undermining the outcome.

The decision clears the way for the certification to be presented to the 'Israeli' President Isaac Herzog, initiating the formal process in which political parties will recommend candidate mandates to assemble the next government coalition.

The committee's approval follows contentious deliberations marked by Likud's public campaign claiming a "stolen election," as well as an inquiry into potential foreign interference.

Tensions had escalated after Shin Bet chief David Zini requested an investigation into Arab lawmakers Mansour Abbas and Ahmad Tibi without presenting evidence, prompting an unusually sharp rebuke from Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara.

The committee's presidium first approved the results by a 3–2 margin, with Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg joined by representatives from Yesh Atid and Blue and White voting in favor, while Likud and Shas delegates abstained.

The presidium session descended into shouting exchanges after Yesh Atid lawmaker Vladimir Beliak declared: "We have a political Shin Bet chief here who is harming democracy." Shas representative Erez Malul countered that "attacking the head of the Shin Bet at a time like this harms national security," drawing comparisons to past military advocate general controversies.

Subsequently, the full Central Elections Committee confirmed the results in a 15–2 vote with 14 abstentions.

Two opposing ballots came from Itamar Ben-Gvir's far-right Otzma Yehudit party.

Representatives from Likud, Shas, Religious Zionism, and United Torah Judaism abstained, while Yesh Atid, the Democrats, Yisrael Beytenu, the Arab parties, and Blue and White supported approval.

Addressing the panel, Justice Sohlberg maintained that allegations of irregularities and external interference did not justify halting certification.

"Some of them are serious. They must be investigated, and as you know very well, they are indeed being investigated, with considerable efforts being made to establish the truth," Sohlberg said. "It is important to emphasize: None of this casts doubt on the election as a whole, and it cannot be used as justification for delaying the election results. At this stage, these are only suspicions, and even if they are substantiated, the scope of their potential impact is limited. Under the law, the proper way to raise them is not here, but through an election appeal."

The verification process involved a review of 9,069 polling stations -representing approximately 75 percent of the country’s 12,018 regular polling sites- marking a 78 percent increase in examined stations compared to the 25th Knesset election.

A team of 250 public sector lawyers and committee personnel operated across seven inspection rooms and a central command center over six days.

According to committee data, officials reviewed 2,452 complaints submitted by candidate lists regarding 1,350 stations, alongside 1,239 public complaints concerning 750 stations, conducting in-depth audits of ballots and voter rolls across 350 locations.

"Every complaint received from the parties, candidate lists and the public was examined on its merits," said Acting Director-General Dean Livne. "Where corrections were required, they were made based on the records and voting materials. This is our responsibility to the voters."

The decision drew immediate fallout within right-wing ranks.

Likud lawmaker Amit Halevi resigned his post as party representative on the committee in protest of the certification and Likud's decision to abstain.

"Until the serious suspicions of interference by foreign countries, which have a security dimension as Justice Sohlberg described, are dispelled, the Elections Committee has no authority to discuss or approve the results," Halevi said.

Otzma Yehudit, which rejected calls from other factions to abstain, released a statement alleging widespread manipulation: "We will not deceive ourselves by abstaining. The elections were rigged, the results are false and foreign countries interfered."

The abstention by Likud mirrors its posture during the 2020 election, when Netanyahu's bloc similarly failed to secure a clear parliamentary majority before eventually entering into a short-lived rotation government with Blue and White.