Arab Parties Gain Seat Amidst Election Tampering Allegations

With approximately 94% of votes counted, Israel's Central Elections Committee reported a shift of one seat between Arab parties. Ra'am has increased its mandate to eight seats, while the Joint List has dropped to eleven, after Ra'am had already gained a seat from the Joint List earlier in the day. This development occurs against a backdrop of serious allegations of foreign funding influencing the election, as detailed in a letter from the committee's chairman, Judge Noam Sohlberg, to the head of the Shin Bet security agency. Judge Sohlberg stated he could not confirm the allegations but instructed the Shin Bet chief to investigate and report back within a week. Full election results are expected Thursday evening after the counting of soldier and double-envelop votes is complete, though significant deviations from current projections are not anticipated. However, the Shin Bet investigation and the Central Elections Committee's decision could potentially alter the final outcome. The Likud party has decried the allegations as a "terror attack on democracy," with other right-wing figures calling for investigations into Arab party leaders and arrests. Naftali Bennett and Yair Lapid's party has 12 seats, the Joint List 11, and Ra'am and the Democrats with eight each. Six other parties secured seven seats, and the Religious Zionism and Identity parties are projected to pass the electoral threshold with six seats.