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The Israeli Central Elections Committee Chair Justice Noam Sohlberg has asked Shin Bet chief David Zini to investigate allegations of foreign interference in Tuesdays election, reported the Times of Israel.
Serious suspicions have been brought to my attention regarding improper influence on the elections exerted through funding provided by foreign entities acting against Israeli interests. While I cannot attest to the substance of these suspicions, it is my view that given they involve foreign entities there is an obligation to investigate them thoroughly, Sohlberg wrote in his letter to Shin Bet according to Israeli media. In light of this, I instruct you to do everything in your power to investigate these suspicions, utilizing the authority of the Shin Bet to uncover evidence that either substantiates or refutes them. Only in this way can we ensure public trust in the electoral process and the integrity of the democratic procedure, he added. Sohlberg has asked Shin Bet to present the findings of the investigation within a week. The order follows incumbent President and Likud boss Benjamin Netanyahu alleging that the Arab parties had 'stolen' the election using bribery and threats. "The elections in the State of Israel were stolen by Arab parties that support terrorism and the elimination of the Jewish state through serious criminal offenses of bribery, threats, violence, forgeries, and the use of prohibited software to mobilize voters. The Likud party is transferring to the police, the Shin Bet, and the Central Elections Committee hundreds of testimonies and pieces of evidence regarding election theft in many Arab polling stationsthousands of envelopes with cash and Ra'am slips, threats and violence against polling station members, multiple voting behind the curtain, voting with double identities, discrepancies between the number of envelopes and the number of voters, the use of prohibited mobilization software, and more. We demand from the police and the Shin Bet a thorough investigation into the election theft by the Arab parties and the full prosecution of the criminals. We demand from the Central Elections Committee an immediate response to investigate these criminal offenses that have severely damaged the integrity of the elections in Israel and the election results. This is a serious blow to Israeli democracy and the voting rights of Israeli citizens. The law enforcement agencies must act with an iron fist and in an immediate manner," Netanyahu had said. Meanwhile, majority continues to evade any of the coalition blocs. As of now, incumbent PM Benjamin Netanyahus Likud is projected to have 26 seats, making it the largest party in the Knesset. Along with his coalition allies like United Torah Judaism, Shas, and Otzma Yehudit the Likud led bloc is projected to win 53 seats which is short of the 61 needed for majority. The opposition bloc, comprising Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar, Naftali Bennett's BYachad, Avidgdor Liberman's Yisrael Beytenu, and Yair Golan's The Democrats, was projected to win 48 seats. The Arab parties which includes the Joint List and Ra'am are projected to win 19 seats. Now all eyes are on what shape a possible government will take. There has been a call for the Anti-Netanyahu bloc to get the Arab parties on their side and cobble together a majority to keep Bibi out. (ANI)
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