Star Metro - Israel elections chief says inquiry into irregularities will not undermine result

The Shin Bet security agency launched the inquiry last week, at the elections chief's request, to determine whether the Arab Israeli party Raam received money from Qatar -- an accusation both the Gulf state and the party deny.

In the days since, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his Likud party have relentlessly accused Arab groupings of having "stolen" the vote, in which they notched unprecedented gains and made themselves potentially instrumental to the formation of an opposition-led government.

Elections committee head and Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, flanked by the head of the Shin Bet and Israel's attorney general, assured Israelis in a video message on Sunday that "your choice at the ballot box will be respected".

"The elections to the 26th Knesset were conducted properly. If any irregularities exist, they are currently under review," he said.

He added that the investigation was ongoing, and that "suspicions remain suspicions".

"We will examine them thoroughly and get to the very bottom of the matter in order to establish the full truth," he continued.

"Our position is that even if the suspicions are ultimately confirmed, this would not call into question the integrity of the electoral process or the overall results of the elections."

- 'Ridiculous and dangerous' -

Ever since the probe was announced, the committee has sought to allay concerns over it, with the body's acting director insisting the same day that any suggestion of widespread issues was "entirely groundless".

Netanyahu's claims of malfeasance by Arab parties began on election day itself, following a campaign in which he cast them as a threat to the country.

That strategy played a role in driving unprecedented turnout among Israel's Arab minority -- descendants of Palestinians who stayed after the country's creation in 1948 and who account for about 20 percent of the population.

Raam chief Mansour Abbas has denied the allegations of foreign funding, saying his party had "no connection whatsoever to the affair" and welcoming an investigation.

Qatar called the accusations "ridiculous and dangerous".

Netanyahu's main challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, who is weighing whether to accept the support of Arab parties in forming a government, has accused the premier of "seeking to delegitimise the results of the election".

Noting on Sunday that the review of the allegations would continue in "utmost seriousness", Sohlberg insisted that "these remarks must in no way cast doubt on the vote of the Arab community".

"The citizens who went to the polls exercised their democratic right. High voter turnout is a positive thing, both within Arab society and in all communities in Israel."

A.Rogen--SMC