ISRAEL'S attorney-general has demanded that intelligence authorities provide updates on an investigation into alleged electoral fraud involving Arab parties, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party accused her of covering up suspected manipulation of last week's election.
The electoral commission has refused to delay publication of the official results, scheduled for Wednesday, despite demands from Likud that the announcement be postponed until investigations by the Shin Bet domestic intelligence service are completed.
AFP reported today that President Isaac Herzog is due to receive the official results of the Oct 27 election at midday local time before beginning consultations with political parties on forming the next government.
Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara said any authority holding evidence that could justify an investigation should submit it to the relevant authorities.
"If the Shin Bet or any other authority holds evidence that would justify opening an investigation, it is invited to present it," she said in a statement.
Her remarks followed media reports that Shin Bet chief David Zini had requested to question leaders of Arab parties as part of an investigation into suspected electoral fraud.
Baharav-Miara also accused Shin Bet of failing to provide her supervised special investigation team with relevant material.
Likud, meanwhile, accused her of obstructing the investigation and covering up what it described as serious manipulation of the electoral process by foreign actors.
Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot condemned the allegations, accusing Netanyahu and Likud of undermining democratic institutions and risking a constitutional crisis.
The Arab parties have rejected the allegations.
The election produced no clear majority in the 120-member Knesset, with Arab-majority parties securing a record 19 seats, while Eisenkot's opposition bloc won 48 seats and Netanyahu's camp secured 53.
Despite its position as the largest single party, Likud won only 27 seats.
Eisenkot's opposition bloc pledged on Tuesday to form a government as quickly as possible and prevent another election, although divisions remain over whether Arab lawmakers should be included in a governing coalition.
The five opposition party leaders met in Herzliya to discuss their strategy, reaffirming their commitment to forming a government while maintaining conditions that could complicate cooperation with Arab parties.
These include requiring coalition partners to recognise Israel as a Jewish state and condemn Hamas as a terrorist organisation.
Yousef Jabareen, head of the largest Arab-majority party in the next parliament, urged opposition leaders to accept the political reality and work together to remove Netanyahu from power.
The Arab parties' 19 seats could prove crucial in determining whether the opposition can secure a parliamentary majority.
Netanyahu, however, has ruled out forming a coalition with Arab-majority parties, accusing them of supporting terrorism and denying Israel's existence as a Jewish state.
The Arab-Israeli party leaders have unanimously condemned Hamas' Oct 7 attack but have stopped short of describing the Palestinian Islamist movement as a terrorist organisation. - November 4, 2026
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