Herzog Urges Leaders to Accept Election Reality Amid Foreign Funding Probe
Israeli President Isaac Herzog urged political leaders to accept election results and avoid another cycle as authorities probe suspected foreign funding.
President Isaac Herzog addressed the political uproar on Sunday surrounding suspected foreign funding in the recent Knesset elections, stating firmly that the election results are an established reality.
Speaking at the official state memorial ceremony for Israel's first president, Chaim Weizmann, at the Weizmann Institute, Herzog announced that he will formally receive the final election results on Wednesday from Central Election Committee Chairman Justice Noam Solberg. Following the handover, the president will initiate consultations with all political factions, emphasizing that the President's Residence will remain wide open to every party.
"During election campaigns, candidates naturally climb high trees," Herzog said. "But the elections are over. It is time to tell all leaders: stop climbing the trees and confront this reality. This week at the President's Residence, we will try to place ladders."
Herzog's remarks follow instructions issued by Justice Solberg to Shin Bet Director David Zini to investigate suspected illicit foreign influence and election bribery. The Shin Bet is examining whether funds linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, primarily from Qatar and Turkey, were funneled to the Joint List under the guise of donations to boost turnout in the Arab sector. Solberg noted that he cannot yet verify the gravity of the suspicions and requested initial findings within a week.
Simultaneously, Israel Police are investigating a separate case involving envelopes containing roughly 10,000 shekels and six Ra'am activists, though authorities estimate no current link between the two investigations. The affair has sparked intense political friction, with right-wing factions demanding rigorous probes while change-bloc politicians accuse critics of attempting to delegitimize the outcome, even as election officials maintain the integrity of the ballot boxes and Qatar denies any interference.
