Netanyahu Seeks Probe Into Alleged Election Interference

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on November 4 called for a full investigation into suspected foreign interference in the October 27 election, saying foreign states may have spent substantial sums to influence the result. He also urged the formation of a broad government led by his Likud party, warning against a coalition dependent on Islamist parties. Netanyahu made the allegations in a video statement and said the Central Elections Committee chairman had directed the Shin Bet, Israel’s domestic security agency, to investigate. He argued that election integrity was fundamental to democracy. The supplied reports do not establish that foreign activity changed the result, and the claims about its scale remain under investigation. The Central Elections Committee said an audit of 9,069 polling stations found no evidence calling the integrity of the results into question. Separately, Shin Bet reportedly told the committee that intelligence indicated foreign funding and influence operations during the campaign, but further work was needed to determine their scale with high certainty. The account of that intelligence was reported secondhand. Netanyahu said a government...