Israeli electoral authorities on Wednesday rejected allegations promoted by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of fraud by Arab parties, who could hold the key to removing him from power after a divisive vote.
President Isaac Herzog will at noon (1000 GMT) officially receive the results of the October 27 election as he decides whether to give Netanyahu or his rival Gadi Eisenkot the first chance to form a government, with neither commanding enough votes alone.
The Central Elections Committee said it had conducted an audit of 9,069 polling stations following complaints and was confident that the announced results "accurately reflect the will of the voters".
"All complaints submitted by political factions have been reviewed and there were no findings indicating harm to the integrity of the election," it said in a statement.
Netanyahu has repeatedly alleged fraud by Arab-majority parties, pointing to the arrests of several people with envelopes of cash on election day.
Late on Tuesday, Israeli Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara said she would not question anyone without evidence after reports that the head of the domestic security service Shin Bet, a Netanyahu ally, had asked to interrogate Arab parties.
Netanyahu's Likud party lashed out at her, saying that she was trying to "obstruct the investigation and to cover up this serious case of manipulation of the electoral process by foreign actors".
Eisenkot, a former military chief trying to unite centrists and the center-right and turn the page on Netanyahu's long, polarizing reign, accused Likud of attempting a "pogrom against democracy".
He had earlier warned Netanyahu against launching a new war with his close ally US President Donald Trump against Iran, which could help the Israeli prime minister push for a unity government or to run out the clock until new elections.
- No unity government -
Yair Lapid, a former prime minister and key force in the opposition bloc, pointed to the midterm elections in the United States in which Democrats resoundingly trounced Trump's Republicans.
The Shin Bet "outbursts" paired with the US election results "eliminate any possibility of a unity government led by Netanyahu".
Netanyahu, Israel's longest-serving prime minister who has been in power on and off for nearly two decades, has called for a "broad national government" -- with himself at the top.
Herzog's statements have raised speculation that he could sound out leaders on a possible unity government, hoping to bring stability in a country sharply split after three years of war and over Netanyahu's hard-right politics.
Herzog holds a largely ceremonial role as head of state, but carries the decisive vote on who will have the first chance to try to be prime minister -- a process that could last weeks or even months and may end in failure and new elections.
After officially receiving the results, Herzog begins two days of consultations with parties, starting with the smaller ones.
Neither Netanyahu nor Eisenkot holds the 61 seats needed to secure a majority in the 120-member parliament.
Netanyahu's bloc has an edge, with 53 seats as opposed to Eisenkot's 48.
Eisenkot could reach the threshold if he were to ally with parties from the Arab minority, whose seat count surged to 19 on outrage against the actions and rhetoric of Netanyahu's government.
But some in the opposition have baulked at relying on non-Jewish lawmakers' votes.
- 'Fresh thinking' -
Herzog, a mild-mannered lawyer whose political career was in the defunct left-wing Labor Party but is now officially nonpartisan, has said he wants to encourage "fresh thinking" and avoid a new election.
Once Herzog tasks someone, they will have 28 days to form a government, with a potential 14-day extension.
If no one succeeds, Herzog will give the mandate to someone else. If that too fails, a majority of lawmakers could come together to nominate someone within 21 days -- or else Israel heads to new elections.
It took Netanyahu, who at the time had a better showing by Likud, 58 days to form a government after the last election in November 2022.
Israel held five elections between 2019 and 2022 after repeated deadlocks.
Netanyahu faces corruption charges and the risk of jail if he loses power and, with it, immunity.
Yousef Jabareen, the head of the largest Arab-majority party in the next parliament, told AFP this week that the opposition needed to accept "political reality" and team up to remove Netanyahu.
Netanyahu has persistently warned Jewish Israelis that the opposition will work with Arab parties, which he accuses of backing Hamas.
Leaders of Arab-Israeli parties have unanimously condemned the October 7, 2023 attack by Hamas without describing the Palestinian movement as a terror group.
