Israeli officials say results stand as Netanyahu claims election was ‘stolen’

Israel’s Central Elections Committee head, Noam Sohlberg, said the general election results would stand even if suspicions of foreign interference were substantiated. Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party challenged the vote, alleging without evidence that Arab-led parties had “stolen” it and received funding from Qatar, which rejected the claims. Police released two of three activists arrested before polls opened over envelopes of cash allegedly intended to bribe voters; the suspects were reportedly linked to the Ra’am party, which won eight seats. Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas condemned the arrests as undemocratic and an attempt to influence the results.