Turkey Rejects Allegations of Interference in Israeli National Election
Synopsis
Turkey and Qatar have strongly denied claims of meddling in Israel's recent national elections, dismissing the allegations as part of a disinformation campaign following an ongoing investigation by Israeli security agencies into foreign influence.
Turkey Denies Election Interference Allegations
Turkey has rejected allegations that Ankara had interfered in Israel's recent elections, calling them “entirely baseless”. The denial comes as Israeli security agencies expand an investigation into potential foreign meddling during this week's national election. According to The Times of Israel, the investigation into alleged foreign influence in this week’s national election is reportedly focusing on Turkey, in addition to Qatar. Citing the Ynet news site, the report noted that the probe, now reportedly including the Mossad alongside the Shin Bet, is investigating any alleged influence campaigns from both Qatar and Turkey.
In response to the allegations, Ankara forcefully dismissed claims of meddling in the vote. “These allegations are part of a deliberate and blatant disinformation campaign aimed at manipulating public opinion,” the Communications Directorate's Centre for Countering Disinformation said on Turkish social media platform NSosyal, as reported by the Anadolu Agency. The centre urged the public not to give credence to these false reports and allegations intended to mislead.
Qatar Responds to Accusations
Earlier on Thursday, Qatar strongly denied claims that it interfered in Israel’s elections, accusing "certain Israeli politicians" of exploiting its name to serve domestic political interests and cover up their own failures, amid the ongoing probe following allegations of foreign interference in Tuesday's polls.
In an official statement published on X, Qatari Foreign Ministry spokesman Majed Al Ansari rejected allegations of funding activities aimed at influencing the vote, warning that Doha will not stay silent while being dragged into Israel's internal politics. “We categorically deny allegations that Qatar has interfered in Israeli elections or funded any activities intended to influence their outcome,” Al Ansari stated. “We reject the accusations made by certain Israeli politicians and their contacts in the media, who have launched yet another disinformation campaign aiming to drag Qatar into Israeli political disputes following this week’s elections.”
Doha Criticizes Israeli Political Discourse
Highlighting how Qatar has been repeatedly targeted across the Israeli political spectrum, Al Ansari mocked, “They accuse Qatar of buying off Benjamin Netanyahu, the Israeli political left and now, in this latest campaign, the Arab vote. If these claims were to be believed, Qatar would apparently own all of Israel.” Firmly denouncing the use of Doha as a "scapegoat" for certain Israeli politicians, the spokesperson called for improvement of quality of life in Israel, calling on the leadership to undo "the damage they've created."
Israeli Security and Election Results
Meanwhile, Shin Bet stated that information regarding alleged voter fraud in the recent election stems entirely from internal intelligence on foreign influence campaigns, rather than “any political party or political actor on either side of the political map." According to The Times of Israel, the agency emphasised that access to the intelligence remained strictly restricted to internal security personnel and Central Elections Committee (CEC) chair Justice Noam Sohlberg until polls closed, The Times of Israel reported.
Incumbent PM Benjamin Netanyahu described the controversy as an “earthquake”, alleging that foreign entities interfered in the elections in favour of Arab parties and calling on Zionist parties to reject cooperation with Ra’am and the Joint List, while Incumbent Minister of National Security and Chairman of Otzma Yehudit, Itamar Ben Gvir, called for the arrest of the Arab party bosses and alleged the involvement of money from Qatar.
This comes as the Central Elections Committee of Israel published the final results of the national election, confirming the distribution of seats in the 26th Knesset, which is scheduled to be sworn in on November 10. The pro-Netanyahu bloc secured 53 seats, falling short of the majority required to form a government. The final results leave the pro-Netanyahu bloc with 53 seats, the anti-Netanyahu bloc with 48 seats and the Arab factions with 19 seats, according to The Times of Israel. The final voter turnout stood at 77.9 per cent of eligible voters, with 5,716,665 votes cast. (ANI)