Police Release Bribery Suspects, Weakening Likud's Bid to Discredit Vote

Israeli police released two of three suspects in a voter bribery case on Sunday, a move that weakens the legal foundation for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party to challenge the parliamentary elections. The release comes just days after the vote, in which Netanyahu’s bloc lost its majority in the 120-member Knesset. The move complicates efforts by the governing party to argue that the results were compromised by improper conduct.

The suspects were among three activists arrested on Oct. 27 with envelopes of cash before polls opened. Police alleged the cash was intended to bribe voters. Two days later, authorities arrested four additional individuals. The police stated that the suspects were connected to the Islamist party Ra’am. The party denied any involvement in the bribery scheme.

A judge reviewed police requests for further restrictions on the three original suspects on Sunday. The court questioned or rejected the requests for extended detention. Police subsequently announced that one suspect was released under unspecified conditions. A second suspect was ordered to remain on house arrest for eight days. The detention of the third suspect was extended for two more days.

Mansour Abbas, the leader of Ra’am, which captured eight seats in the Knesset, denounced the arrests as undemocratic. He described the actions as an attempt to influence the election results. Abbas argued that the legal maneuvers were part of a wider strategy to destabilize the outcome.

Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, the head of Israel’s elections committee, addressed separate claims of foreign interference. Speaking in a video released Sunday alongside the Shin Bet chief and the attorney general, Sohlberg stated that even if suspicions of foreign influence were substantiated, they would not undermine the integrity of the electoral process. He affirmed that the election results would stand as a whole.

Likud quickly responded to the committee chief’s comments. The party issued a statement questioning how the committee could acknowledge serious allegations while simultaneously declaring no effect on the final outcome. The governing coalition has previously alleged that Arab-led parties stole the election, though officials have not provided specific evidence for that claim.

The parliamentary math remains tight. Netanyahu’s bloc of allies dropped to 53 seats in the new Knesset, down from a peak of 68 in the outgoing parliament. A bloc led by his main rival, Gadi Eisenkot, won 48 seats. Arab-led parties, including Ra’am, won the remaining 19 seats. Together, the two opposition blocs hold enough seats to form a new government.

Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of launching an orchestrated campaign to delegitimize the election results. He cited insinuations that Qatar supported opposition parties to unseat the prime minister. Eisenkot said the Shin Bet security service had briefed him on the ongoing investigation into foreign interference. Qatar has denied funding any activities meant to influence the vote.

Netanyahu has suggested that it would be treasonous for Eisenkot to join with Arab parties. His opponents argue that he is using scare tactics to create a narrative against Arab-led parties. They note that Israel’s Arab citizens make up 20% of the population. Yousef Jabareen, leader of the Joint List of Arab parties, criticized the prime minister for directing more than half of Likud’s election day content against Arab voters.

The election results are due to be officially certified this week. President Isaac Herzog will begin meeting with each party elected to parliament on Wednesday. He will consult with them to determine who they prefer as the next prime minister. Following these talks, Herzog will choose the candidate he believes has the best chance of forming a coalition. If negotiations fail, the country will face a new election early next year.