The investigation into suspected Israeli election fraud is limited in scope and unlikely to affect the results, security sources and a senior election official said on Thursday.
Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, Shin Bet, said in an official statement that the investigation was “targeted and limited”.
Channel 12 quoted agency sources as saying the matter under investigation could not affect the election results.
Separately, Dean Livne, acting director general of the Central Elections Committee, said there was “no basis for allegations of systematic violations of election integrity”.
The statements came after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party claimed the election had been “stolen” by Palestinian citizens of Israel following their record turnout and electoral gains.
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Likud warned of an attempted “Islamisation of Israel” after reports emerged that Shin Bet was investigating suspected foreign interference in the vote.
The investigation centres on alleged funding efforts to increase turnout among Palestinian citizens of Israel.
Israeli politicians and media outlets aligned…