Yashar party chairman and opposition bloc leader Gadi Eisenkot accused Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday of launching an "organized campaign to delegitimize" the results of Tuesday's Knesset election, vowing to prevent any attempt to delay the swearing-in of the new parliament.
Eisenkot also pledged to prevent Netanyahu from using the government for his "own personal needs," declaring that those days were over.
"I will not allow the Knesset's swearing-in to be delayed by even a single centimeter from its scheduled date," Eisenkot said.
He added that his team was preparing for a vote when the new Knesset convenes.
"I intend to act as I always have, calmly and with determination," Eisenkot concluded.
Allegations of foreign interference by Qatar in Israel's elections emerged on Thursday, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Qatar denies election interference allegations, accuses Israeli figures of disinformation
Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesperson Majed al-Ansari categorically denied the allegations, accusing Israeli politicians and media figures of conducting a disinformation campaign against Doha.
"We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome," he said.
In his statement, Eisenkot claimed that Netanyahu and Likud had prepared their statements and briefings in advance, accusing them of attempting to delegitimize the election results because they had lost and lacked a Knesset majority.
Shin Bet investigates the allegations
The Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) is investigating suspicions that foreign entities, potentially including Qatar and Turkey, funneled money into Israel to influence voter turnout in Arab communities. The investigation follows a directive from Central Elections Committee Chairman Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg to examine allegations of foreign funding and election bribery, the Post reported Thursday.
Shin Bet chief David Zini is expected to brief most of Israel's political party leaders on the investigation into suspected foreign interference in Tuesday's Knesset election, having already updated several of them on Thursday. The investigation is expected to conclude in the coming days.
The Shin Bet will present its findings to Sohlberg once the investigation is complete.
The investigation initially began covertly and progressed to its next stage only after investigators gathered a critical amount of intelligence described as "solid information."
The investigation is being conducted in full coordination with Sohlberg and the Central Elections Committee.
KAN News reported Thursday, citing a senior Central Elections Committee official, that even if all suspicions of foreign interference were substantiated, the alleged activity would not have been extensive enough to alter the election results.
Yair Lapid says election results are not in jeopardy despite interference allegations
Former prime minister Yair Lapid said Thursday that Israel's election results were not in jeopardy and that nothing would prevent the swearing-in of the new Knesset, following a meeting with Shin Bet chief David Zini at the agency's headquarters.
"I spoke today with representatives of Justice Sohlberg on the Central Elections Committee and met with Shin Bet chief David Zini," Lapid said, adding that "there is no risk to or challenge to the election results, and there is no obstacle to swearing in the Knesset."
Ra'am Chairman Mansour Abbas denied on Thursday allegations that it was involved in an election-interference scheme via Qatar, and apparently backed the launch of an investigation into the matter.
"Ra'am welcomes the decision of Central Elections Committee Chairman Justice Noam Sohlberg to investigate suspicions of an attempt to improperly influence the elections through foreign funding," said Abbas.
President Isaac Herzog called Thursday for a thorough investigation into the election interference allegations, stressing that "election integrity is a supreme democratic value" and that those responsible must be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law. At the same time, he warned against undermining the legitimacy of the electoral process, saying, "We must avoid tarnishing an entire public that sought to exercise its right to vote and take an active part in democracy."
Jonah Davidov, Croinne Baum, Jerusalem Post staff, contributed to this report.