Two held on suspicion of vote buying freed in Israel; election panel says results will not change

The controversy that followed Israel's general election results is now being discussed around the world. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud party has made serious allegations against Arab parties, saying they took money from Qatar to steal and buy votes. Meanwhile, Israel's election committee has issued an important statement, and the release of some activists held on charges of vote buying has given the matter a new turn.

The committee held a press conference on Sunday and also issued a statement. It said clearly that even if allegations of foreign interference or vote theft in the election prove true, the official results will not be altered. Committee chief Noam Sohlberg made the statement after discussions with the head of Israel's internal security agency Shin Bet and the Attorney General.

Before voting, Israeli police had arrested three political activists. They were suspected of carrying envelopes full of cash, and were accused of buying votes with money. On Sunday, police released two of them. One was released on strict conditions, while the other was ordered to remain under house arrest.

The men are reported to be linked to the Arab-led party Ra'am, which won eight seats in this election. Party leader Mansour Abbas strongly condemned the arrests. He said they were wholly undemocratic and an attempt to influence the election results.

Opposition leader Gadi Eisenkot also issued a statement on Sunday. He alleged that Netanyahu was running a large, organised campaign to discredit the election results and the country's democratic process.

No single party or alliance has won a clear majority, so manoeuvring to form a government is under way. In the November 27 election, the alliance led by Netanyahu won 53 seats, while Eisenkot's opposition alliance won 48. A government in Israel's 120-member parliament needs at least 61 seats.

Three Arab-led parties together won a record 19 seats. If they joined Eisenkot, his total could reach 67 and they could form a government comfortably. However, sharp differences are visible in Israeli politics over the question of Arab parties' support.

All eyes are now on the dates ahead. The election committee is very likely to certify the results officially on November 4. After that, President Isaac Herzog will invite the candidate who can prove a majority to form the new government. The final deadline for forming a government is November 11.