Smotrich calls on Shin Bet to question Palestinian party leaders over foreign interference claims

Smotrich calls on Shin Bet to question Palestinian party leaders over foreign interference claims Israel's far-right Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has called on Shin Bet to question Palestinian party leaders over claims of foreign influence in the election, Israeli news site Haaretz reports. According to the report, Smotrich said, "Suspicions of election manipulation using foreign Islamist money are a test for the State of Israel" and that "Arab party leaders must be questioned by the Shin Bet today". His comments come after the Central Elections Committee chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg called for an investigation into suspected foreign influence on the elections. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's Likud Party responded that "Israel's election was stolen!" "This is an attack on democracy aimed at enabling a foreign takeover of the Knesset, the Islamization of Israel and the toppling of right-wing rule in order to force an Israeli withdrawal and defeat for the IDF on all fronts, foremost among them Iran," it said. Meanwhile, Democrats leader Yair Golan said in a post on X that Netanyahu is trying "to undermine the election results through an ugly campaign to delegitimize the public's will, and the Arab public in particular". With more than 90 percent of votes counted, preliminary election results point to a deadlock between Netanyahu’s outgoing bloc and the Zionist opposition. Neither side has secured the 61 seats needed for a parliamentary majority, partly due to Palestinian-led parties winning a projected record 19 seats. Palestinian-led parties have offered to support an opposition-led minority government to prevent Netanyahu from returning to power. But key opposition figures have rejected the prospect of governing with Arab parties.