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WorldQuiet 6d · day 10

Israeli court frees two bribery suspects, undercutting Netanyahu's vote-fraud claims

Election officials say even substantiated foreign-interference claims wouldn't undermine the Oct. 27 vote that cost Netanyahu his parliamentary majority.

newest coverage 6d agosummary written 6d ago12 pieces22 likes & upvotes2 comments NewswiresMastodonGoogle NewsBluesky

What to know

  • A judge released two of three suspects in an alleged Likud-linked voter-bribery scheme, undercutting claims the election was fraudulent.
  • Israel's elections committee head says even substantiated foreign-interference allegations, including claims about Qatar, would not change the election outcome.
  • Netanyahu's bloc fell from 68 to 53 seats; the opposition under Eisenkot plus Arab-led parties together hold enough seats to form a government, though an alliance is not guaranteed.
  • Results are due for certification Nov. 4, after which President Herzog will decide who gets the first chance to form a coalition.

“an attempt to influence the election results”

Mansour Abbas, Leader of the Ra'am party · PBS NewsHour / AP ↗ · Oct 31

Benjamin NetanyahuBenjamin Netanyahu Israeli Prime Minister, Likud leaderGadi EisenkotGadi Eisenkot Opposition bloc leaderMansour AbbasMansour Abbas Leader of the Ra'am partyNoam Sohlberg Supreme Court Justice, head of Israel's elections committeeIsaac HerzogIsaac Herzog President of Israel

Israeli court frees two bribery suspects, undercutting Netanyahu's vote-fraud claims
pbs.org

How it unfolded 3 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 3 pieces in 3h at Oct 30, 7 PM; 12 pieces over 10 days (9 articles · 3 posts) Oct 29, 10 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Google News 1Oct 29, 1 PM — quietOct 29, 4 PM — quietOct 29, 7 PM — quietOct 29, 10 PM — quietOct 30, 1 AM — quietOct 30, 4 AM — quietOct 30, 7 AM — quietOct 30, 10 AM — quietOct 30, 1 PM — quietOct 30, 4 PM — quietOct 30, 7 PM — 3 pieces · 3 articles — Google News 3Oct 30, 10 PM — quietOct 31, 1 AM — quietOct 31, 4 AM — quietOct 31, 7 AM — quietOct 31, 10 AM — quietOct 31, 1 PM — quietOct 31, 4 PM — quietOct 31, 7 PM — quietOct 31, 10 PM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 3 AM — quietNov 1, 6 AM — quietNov 1, 9 AM — 2 pieces · 1 article · 1 post — Mastodon 1, Newswires 1Nov 1, 12 PM — 3 pieces · 2 articles · 1 post — Newswires 2, Mastodon 1Nov 1, 3 PM — 2 pieces · 2 articles — Newswires 1, Google News 1Nov 1, 6 PM — quietNov 1, 9 PM — quietNov 2, 12 AM — quietNov 2, 3 AM — quietNov 2, 6 AM — 1 piece · 1 post — Bluesky 1Nov 2, 9 AM — quietNov 2, 12 PM — quietNov 2, 3 PM — quietNov 2, 6 PM — quietNov 2, 9 PM — quietNov 3, 12 AM — quietNov 3, 3 AM — quietNov 3, 6 AM — quietNov 3, 9 AM — quietNov 3, 12 PM — quietNov 3, 3 PM — quietNov 3, 6 PM — quietNov 3, 9 PM — quietNov 4, 12 AM — quietNov 4, 3 AM — quietNov 4, 6 AM — quietNov 4, 9 AM — quietNov 4, 12 PM — quietNov 4, 3 PM — quietNov 4, 6 PM — quietNov 4, 9 PM — quietNov 5, 12 AM — quietNov 5, 3 AM — quietNov 5, 6 AM — quietNov 5, 9 AM — quietNov 5, 12 PM — quietNov 5, 3 PM — quietNov 5, 6 PM — quietNov 5, 9 PM — quietNov 6, 12 AM — quietNov 6, 3 AM — quietNov 6, 6 AM — quietNov 6, 9 AM — quietNov 6, 12 PM — quietNov 6, 3 PM — quietNov 6, 6 PM — quietNov 6, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 12 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 6 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 12 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 6 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietToday, 12 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 6 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quiet ◂ 1 earlier23
Oct 30Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6yesterdaynow · 11:50 AM ET
  1. background

    Election results due for official certification — Results are scheduled to be certified Wednesday, after which President Isaac Herzog will consult with elected parties and pick a candidate — likely Netanyahu or Eisenkot — to try to form a coalition.

  2. 3

    Abbas and Eisenkot accuse Netanyahu of delegitimizing the vote

    Ra'am leader Mansour Abbas called the arrests of his party's associates undemocratic, and rival Gadi Eisenkot accused Netanyahu of running a campaign to delegitimize the election by insinuating Qatari support for the opposition.

    “orchestrated and organized campaign to delegitimize the election results…”
    — Gadi Eisenkot
  3. background

    Elections committee says foreign-interference claims wouldn't void results — Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, head of the elections committee, said in a video released with the Shin Bet chief and attorney general that even substantiated foreign-interference allegations would not affect the election outcome; Likud questioned how officials could acknowledge serious allegations while ruling out any effect on results.

  4. 2

    Judge releases two of three bribery suspects

    A judge questioned or rejected police requests for further restrictions; one suspect was released subject to unspecified conditions, another ordered to eight days of house arrest, while the third's detention was extended two days.

    “Most suspects released after Israeli court says no evidence for accusation of bribery in election…”
    — Associated Press
  5. 2 days quiet
  6. 1

    Police arrest four more suspects linked to Ra'am party

    Two days after the initial arrests, police detained four more suspects they said were connected to the Islamist Ra'am party; Ra'am denied any involvement, and Likud cited the case, without evidence, in claiming Arab-led parties had "stolen" the election.

  7. background

    Three activists arrested with cash before polls open — Israeli police arrested three political activists before polls opened on Oct. 27 carrying envelopes of cash, allegedly intended to bribe voters.

  8. background

    Israel holds parliamentary elections; Netanyahu's bloc loses majority — Netanyahu's allied bloc dropped to 53 seats in the 120-seat Knesset, down from a peak of 68, while a bloc led by rival Gadi Eisenkot won 48 and Arab-led parties, including Ra'am, won 19 — enough combined for the opposition to form a government.

Also covered reported alongside — the timeline has no entry for these yet

  1. 5 outlets Most suspects released after Israeli court says no evidence for accusation of bribery in election

    first by The Globe and Mail, 6d ago · also Philadelphia Inquirer, Your Valley, The Star Democrat, U.S. News & World Report

  2. 4 outlets Israeli officials say elections won't be undermined, and suspects in bribery case are freed

    first by Japan Today, 6d ago · also Philadelphia Inquirer, PBS NewsHour, CTV News